Against All Odds
by YankeePinstripes
Summary: EJ and Sami multisongfic. When Lucas starts to believe in ideas created by his mother, Kate, what will Sami do? Where...or to whom...will she turn?
1. Disclaimer

Alrighty. Ok, so I've written fanfiction before but I deleted them all. Wiped the slate clean. I have a new penname and this is the first fic I've written in a long, long time. Also the first one I've done on _Days of Our Lives._

Anyway. It's going to be a song-fic. I assume you all know what that means. However, like most song-fics it won't be a one-shot. Most of the songs are Christina Aguilera's. I'll give the artist at the beginning of each chapter.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own any of the characters. Or the songs. Basically, I don't own anything except for the plot since it's all my own. If there are references to the past, well, I guess those would be owned by the people at _DAYS._


	2. How Long?

**Song is "How Long" by Hinder**

It was six months after the twins were born. A lot had happened in those six months. Jett left town to continue work for the ISA. Jeremy was arrested along with Rawlings. Stephanie finally came to her senses and focused on college, along with Chelsea. As for Chelsea, she and Nick finally became an official couple. Max was back working at the garage with Shawn, who was still with Belle. Philip got his son, Tyler (a.k.a. Pocket), and was too busy to interfere with their lives. As for the older Salemites…well, it was same-old, same-old.

And the DiMeras…Stefano was sick yet again, even after the liver surgery. It seemed to Dr. Rolf that this time, nothing could be done. It was due to old-age (even though he wasn't **that** old, Rolf guessed that all the years of feuding took its toll on the poor devil). Andre was finally behind bars, thanks to Roman and Bo…with the help of EJ. And Tony was happily doing his own thing while Anna was none the wiser.

Finally, Sami gave birth to her twins, Tom and Colleen. They were both healthy, for which everyone was thankful. It seemed everyone was living the perfect life. Of course, that's just how it **seemed**…

EJ Wells was about to open the door to the Brady pub when he stopped short after he saw who was inside. Something inside him deflated like a balloon being punctured.

_Why'd you go and break what's already broken?  
I try to take a breath but I'm already choking  
How long till this goes away?  
I try to remember to forget you  
But I break down every time I do  
It's left me less than zero  
Beat down and bruised  
I can't see him with you_

Lucas and Sami were sitting inside with the twins in their carriers next to them. As usual, they were fighting again. Though, anyone watching wouldn't know since they kept it quiet.

"Lucas, I am **not **going through with that!" Sami exclaimed.

"Well, why not?" he threw back. "It won't do any harm. I think it's a great idea!"

Sami rolled her eyes. "You're acting insane, do you realize that? That is the **worst **idea I've ever heard! After six months…God, I cannot **believe **you're agreeing with Kate on this!"

"This has nothing to do with my mother," Lucas replied with eyes narrowed. "She wasn't being serious when she passed that remar—"

"Oh, please," Sami interrupted. "Wasn't being serious? You've got to be kidding me. And even if she **wasn't** being serious…**you're **taking it seriously."

"Aw, come on, babe," Lucas whined. "Don't get mad at me. I have perfectly good reason to be serious about this." He pushed his chair over next to Sami, put his arms around her, and proceeded to kiss her. Sami sighed, giving into it.

EJ also sighed, watching them through the glass window. He couldn't believe that Samantha was **still **with that guy. Couldn't she see that he was so one-dimensional? Couldn't she see that there was so much more out there for her?

_Why'd you go and break what's already broken?  
I try to take a breath but I'm already choking  
Cause everywhere I look I can see how you hold him  
How long till this goes away? _

He couldn't help it. He loved her. Truly loved her after all this time. He knew that never in his life would he get over her. Especially now that Bo, Roman, John, and Steve seemed to accept him into their world. Even Hope was nice to him. He couldn't pretend that she wasn't there.__

I can't seem to get my heart over you  
Cause you creep into everything I do  
And now I'm dying to know  
How he touches you   
I can't see him with you  
Why'd you go and break what's already broken?  
I try to take a breath but I'm already choking   
Cause everywhere I look I can see how you hold him  
How long till this goes away?  
How long till this goes away?

EJ took another glance inside the pub. Lucas was chatting away, probably about something meaningless. Even so, EJ wanted to be the one talking about meaningless things with Samantha. But he couldn't do that while she was with Lucas. It hurt too much. So he had withdrawn. He hadn't interfered in their lives. He would meet with Roman and the guys often, but never tried to get Samantha alone anymore. Even though she stated they could still keep in contact and apologized for her husband being a rat-bastard to him.

_  
She said she wants to be friends  
I took a big step back  
She said   
She said  
She said she's sorry  
With one finger  
I said fuck that _

Back in the pub, Lucas got up to get another coffee. Before he left he leaned down to give Sami another quick kiss and said, "I love you."

Hesitating for a second or two before replying, Sami said back, "I love you, too."__

I can tell you're lying when your lips move  
Cause of one lie it's not me it's you  
It's left me less than zero  
Beat down and bruised  
I can't see him with you  
Why'd you go and break what's already broken?  
I try to take a breath but I'm already choking  
Cause everywhere I look I can see how you hold him  
How long till this goes away?  
Why'd you go and break what's already broken?  
I try to take a breath but I'm already choking  
Cause everywhere I look I can see how you hold him  
How long till this goes away?  
How long till this goes away? 

Outside, EJ watched the exchange. He knew just by looking at her that something was wrong. But he daren't go in there and try to pry it out of her. He was distancing himself little by little. But he couldn't help wondering to himself how much longer he'd be able to stand it before turning around and walking away.__

She said she wants to be friends  
I took a big step back  
She said   
She said  
She said she's sorry  
With one finger  
With one finger  
I said fuck that


	3. Understand

**Song is "Understand" by Christina Aguilera**

A few days later, Sami and Lucas were doing their own things. She was at home, just done getting the twins down for their nap and Lucas…well, he was out visiting Kate. Again. Probably getting more ridiculous ideas planted in his head. As a result, Sami had been thinking about the life she was currently leading.

It was a farce. One big lie. She didn't want to be with Lucas. She **did **love him, though. Of course, she loved him. They'd been through so much together. However, Sami knew she wasn't **in **love with him. He was more like a really good friend she had married out of convenience. And she had a strong feeling that Lucas felt the same. There was a big difference between loving someone and being **in **love with someone. They were not in love with each other. Maybe at one time they were, but…not anymore.

Sami had been feeling this for a while. But, she never wanted to bring it up for fear of the consequences. Will, for one, would be devastated. Not to mention how her family would react. If she announced she was thinking of divorcing Lucas –

'_Stop_,' Sami thought to herself. She didn't even want to think about it. Her family would freak out.

But she couldn't help the feeling of constant unhappiness that washed over her. And the feeling of resentment towards Lucas. It seemed with each day that passed, Lucas became more and more brainwashed by his psychotic mother…and less and less concerned about Sami's feelings. Especially when it came to this "idea" of his and his mother's he was forcing on her…

'_Why?_' Sami wondered. '_Why can't I be married to a guy who I __**know**__ will always stick by me and love me for real?_'

Her head snapped up and her thoughts switched to the man whom she **knew **was in love with her for real. In a heartbeat, the "old" Sami emerged. The one who wasn't afraid to speak her mind and do what she wanted no matter what. Enough was enough.

_I made you think you don't understand._

Right then and there she decided to take control of her life again. The inspiration of her great-aunt Colleen stirred inside her. Sami grabbed a piece of paper and a pen, sat down on her couch, took a deep breath, and proceeded to write through the tears in her eyes.__

I used to think that happiness could only be something  
That happened to somebody else.  
Everybody believed, everybody but me.  
And I've been hurt so many times before  
That my hope was dying, so sick of trying.  
Everybody could see, everybody but me.  
But then you came into my life, you opened up my softer side  
And now I can see into your eyes  
And suddenly, I realize.

"EJ –

I know we haven't spoken in a long time and I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say in this letter, but I need to get it out. And since it's been so hard to have a conversation with you face-to-face, I'm writing. I have no else to turn to.

You're the only one who could possibly understand this. You're the only one who could possibly understand **me**. The **real **me. So think of this as me venting, but, also think of this as a way of me getting through to you.__

I made you think you don't understand.  
All the times you didn't understand,  
Why you couldn't just be my man.  
I made you think you don't understand.  
There were many walls you had to climb,  
If you really wanted to be mine.  
I made you think you don't understand.  
After all the hoops I put you through,  
Now I see that I'm in love with you.

Now, I hope you finally understand.

I don't know where I went wrong with us. Actually, I do…but I guess I'm not sure **why.** All my life I felt isolated. I felt different. I felt…unlovable. But, then I met you. You made me believe in myself. You made me a better person. But, I pushed you away. Even after you proved your love to me over and over again, I pushed you away.__

So many tears I've had to cry,  
But you had many more of your own you had to dry.  
But you stuck it out and you're here with me now.  
And rememberin' the days I pushed away your love,  
You called my bluff and you still stayed around.  
Yeah, you figured me out.  
Said, you got me down.  
And there's no way to lie to you, you know me better than I do.  
Baby, ooh, you see me through.  
I'd be no good without you.

You never gave up on me, though. No matter what you yourself were going through. No matter how many times I told you I hated you or wanted you out of my life, you never believed it. Well, you were right in doing that. I **never **hated you and I **never **wanted you out of my life. Somehow, I think you always knew that. You always seemed to know exactly what I was thinking even before **I **knew.__

I made you think you don't understand.  
All the times you didn't understand,  
Why you couldn't just be my man.  
I made you think you don't understand.  
There were many walls you had to climb,  
If you really wanted to be mine.  
I made you think you don't understand.  
After all the hoops I put you through,  
Now I see that I'm in love with you.

Now, I hope you finally understand.

EJ…I am so, so sorry for everything that's happened. I confused the **hell** out of you. I led you on time and time again just to leave you there. I guess in my own sick way, I wanted to see how many times I could get away with it. Every time you came back to me, it proved to me how much you really did love me. I guess that kind of scared me. My whole life, I never had a man go through what you've gone through for me. It seemed too good to be true.__

Baby, won't you listen now.  
Can't you see just what I'm talking about?  
Said, baby won't you listen now.  
Can't you see just what I'm talking about?

Time went on, and I was wrong  
To keep my distance for so long.  
So afraid, you wouldn't stay,  
But, you never turned away.

Always right by my side.  
You're forever in my life.  
Don't you go  
'Cause now I know  
That in you I found a home.

Now, it might be too late. Like I said, we haven't spoken in a long time. I guess I understand why you've avoided me. But I should have come to **you**. I didn't need to help build this wall between us.

You were there for me through everything, EJ. And I don't ever want to completely lose you. I can't even begin to imagine never speaking to you again. You make me feel safe. You make me happy. You **complete **me.__

Now I can see into your eyes.  
Suddenly, I realize.

I know I must sound completely selfish but I finally realized that I **do **love you. And I don't just love you. I'm **in **love with you. Believe me, there's a difference…__

I made you think you don't understand.  
All the times you didn't understand,  
Why you couldn't just be my man.  
I made you think you don't understand.  
There were many walls you had to climb,  
If you really wanted to be mine.  
I made you think you don't understand.  
After all the hoops I put you through,  
Now I see that I'm in love with you.

Now, I hope you finally understand.

I hope you understand what I'm trying to say here. I'm sorry and I love you."__

I made you think you don't understand.

She started to sign the letter "Sami" but on second thought crossed it out.

And signed "Samantha."


	4. Everything

Hi everyone! Didn't take too long to write this one. Just re-read it about a gazillion times. Like I said, the updates might come slower once college starts up Monday but I'll try my best. Thanks for the feedback!

**Song is "Everything" by Buckcherry (JMO, but I find it much more effective if you listen to the songs while reading lolol. It makes you see/feel/whatever the pace of the scenes better)**

Late that same night, Lucas was still at Kate's.

"Lucas, I really do believe that this would be best," Kate was saying. "Best for you, your marriage, and for the baby!"

He nodded, deep in thought. "I know. I know. This **would** convince me, once and for all. It's just…Sami refuses to do it!"

Kate rolled her eyes. "Well, then **make **her do it!"

Lucas stared at her intensely for a second or two. "You're right."

Back at Sami and Lucas' apartment, Sami was standing out in the hall with the letter to EJ in her hand. She knew he wasn't home because she'd heard him go out earlier. Anyway, she wasn't sure what to do with it.

Glancing back and forth from the envelope to his door, Sami sighed and eventually just pushed it through the space between the door and the floorboards, hoping for the best. He could either come find her tomorrow night or ignore it. Sami prayed for the first choice.

After re-entering her own apartment, she went in to check on the twins.

'_Sleeping like angels_,' she thought with relief. Her eyes lingered for a moment longer on Colleen, thinking of Lucas and Kate. She then switched her gaze over to a picture of herself and Lucas from their wedding. Then she thought of the letter she'd written to EJ again.

Without realizing it, Sami was overcome by tears. Feeling the emptiness of her home around her, she climbed into bed to sob the night away.

_Buried way beneath the sheets, I think she's having a melt down.  
Finding it hard to fall asleep, she won't let anyone help her.  
The look on her face, A waste of time.  
She won't let go, Gonna roll the dice.  
Losing her grace, Starts to cry.  
I feel her pain when I look in her eyes._

In the Brady pub Bo, Hope, Roman, and EJ sat a table towards the back. There weren't any other customers this late at night.

"So, EJ…" Roman started. "I hear your father's "taken a turn for the worse" again."

EJ raised his eyebrows. "Yes, that's what I've heard. Seems if the man lets out a mere cough and he's taken a turn for the worse," he replied, making them laugh.

"What if this is it, though?" Bo asked. "What if he really, truly croaks this time?"

"Yeah," Hope chimed in. "What happens? Do you and Tony inherit everything?"

"Actually, Tony's made it clear he wants absolutely nothing to do with Father or anything concerning him so, yes, I would inherit it all," EJ said off-handedly with a shrug. "Andre's locked up, Benji's gone, Lexie's in the same boat as Tony…Anyway, I'd get the mansion, Rolf, the houses all over the world…" He trailed off, looking as if he could care less.

Roman looked about ready to say something when his text message beep went off.

"Ah, he11," he muttered. "Bo, we've got an issue. Un-cooperating graffiti vandal. Let's go."

All four stood up to leave when Hope spoke up. "Actually, EJ, I wanted to talk to you about something. You think you could hang around for a little?"

A tad surprised, he agreed.

_I wanna be, I want everything.  
I want everything._

The two of them sat back down. EJ looked expectantly at Hope.

After a few seconds of silence, he prompted, "…You…wanted to talk to me about something?"

"Yes," Hope nodded. She took a breath and decided to just come out with it. "I was just wondering…have you spoken to Sami recently?"

He wasn't expecting that. All the times he'd been with Roman, John, or…any of them…Samantha had never come up in conversation.

"No…" EJ started slowly. "No, I haven't. Why, why do you ask?"

Hope took on an innocent look. "No reason! Just…I've noticed she's looked at little…lost recently. I thought maybe you knew something?"

EJ thought back to the other day when he'd seen Lucas and Sami inside the pub. He remembered thinking to himself that it looked like something wasn't quite right with her. He also remembered seeing her afterwards, pushing the twins in their stroller around the block, looking…well, like Hope had said – lost. And confused. And upset. Utterly lonely. It hurt – it **crucified** him to see her like that. But he had promised himself he wouldn't pry. He had to distance himself.__

Somewhere she is on the streets trying to make things better,  
Praying to God and breathing deep.  
Gotta break this long obsession.  
The look on her face, A waste of time.  
She won't let go, Gonna roll the dice.  
Losing her grace, Starts to cry.  
I feel her pain when I look in her eyes.

"I know nothing," EJ replied quietly.

Hope noticed he wasn't quite looking her in the eye. She knew that he knew something was wrong. What she **didn't** know was why he wasn't with Sami now. Instead, he was hanging out inside the Brady pub with…a group of Brady's. Why wasn't he trying to get her to open up so he could make things better?

EJ **always** made things better. Everyone could see it from the time he and Sami first met. She was a different person around him. She **glowed**.

As if reading her thoughts EJ said very, very quietly, "I don't talk much with Samantha at all anymore. Very rarely, in fact."

Hope sighed. "EJ. She's not herself. You know how Sami is. She doesn't go around whining about her problems. She keeps it all inside. If anyone could get it out of her, though, it's **you**."__

I wanna be, I want everything.  
I want everything.  
I wanna be, I want everything.  
I want everything.

If I had everything would I still wanna be alive?  
Oh wanna be high.  
If I had everything would I still wanna be alive?  
Oh wanna be high.

A little while later, EJ returned home from the pub. All the while back he'd been thinking about what Hope had said. She was right, of course. EJ knew that if he asked her, Samantha would spill all of her troubles out to him.

He thought back to the summer they'd first met. Even when they'd barely known each other, all he had to do was ask and she'd reveal all. She'd collapse into his arms, cry her heart out, and he'd fix everything.

The thing was…EJ wasn't sure how much more he could handle of that. How much more he could take of Samantha crying on his shoulder only to run back to Lucas when he dried her tears.

Unlocking his apartment door, he stepped inside. Immediately his eyes lit upon a square of white against his floor. Curious, he bent to pick it up.

It had his name on it. Nothing else. No return address, nothing. Obviously, someone had slipped it under his door.

He sat down and pulled out the paper inside and started to read; his heart beating ever faster and his eyes growing ever wider with each line.__

Now and then she talks to me  
And sometimes writes me letters.  
The look on her face, A waste of time.  
She won't let go, Gonna roll the dice.  
Losing her grace, Starts to cry.  
I feel her pain when I look in her eyes.

I wanna be, I want everything.  
I want everything.  
You know I wanna be, Yeah, I want everything.  
I wanted everything, everything.

When he neared the end of the letter, EJ noticed she had crossed something out. Looking closer, he just made out "Sami" underneath the scribble of black ink.

And just under that, it was signed "Samantha."

He blinked rapidly a few times, hardly believing the words written in black and white right in front of him. He let out a small laugh of disbelief and glanced at his door as if seeing Sami's apartment through it.__

Your eyes, never close your eyes  
And open up your mind,  
Oh, and baby you can have everything, everything.

For a brief moment EJ wondered if this was some sort of joke. But then he thought better of it. This was **Samantha. **For all the evil, cruel things she'd done in her life…EJ knew she had changed. And he also knew, deep down, that she would never pull something like that on him.

He knew this was for real.

_  
Your eyes, never close your eyes  
And open up your mind,  
_

It was too late to go to her now. But tomorrow night…he'd definitely speak with her tomorrow night. Shawn and Belle were having their engagement party at Chez Rouge. He and Tony were invited. Obviously, Sami would be there.

Tomorrow night it was, then.

_Oh, and baby you can have everything_


	5. I've Got Trouble

**Song is "I've Got Trouble" by Christina Aguilera.**

It seemed like the whole town of Salem was packed into Chez Rouge for Shawn and Belle's engagement party. Everyone was there for this special event. It was rare that all the Brady's and Horton's were in one room, along with the Johnson's, Black's, Carver's, Roberts', and – weirdly enough – DiMera's. Maggie had put on Christina Aguilera's _Back to Basics_ CD. It was the perfect mix of modern and old-school music. All in all, it was a (rare) happy scene:

It happened to be that time of the night, as at every party, when the guests split into various groups to discuss whatever they pleased. John, Roman, Bo, and Abe were enjoying a much anticipated night off-duty with Steve.

At a nearby table Shawn Sr., Caroline, Doug, Julie, Alice, and Maggie were reminiscing and catching each other up with their lives.

At one end of the bar Max, Nick, Chelsea, Stephanie, and Phillip were toasting Shawn and Belle – again. After so many drinks, it seemed as if they'd forgotten how many times a toast was made. Will was hovering at the edge of the group, hoping to sneak someone's champagne.

Another cluster of tables sat Celeste, Lexie, Kayla, Adrienne, Billie, Marlena, Hope, and Sami. The twins and Tyler were getting full attention from Lexie and Kayla. They had pretty much volunteered to give Sami and Phillip the night off.

Kate and Lucas were standing in a corner, deep in discussion over some matter or other.

And at the other end of the bar stood EJ, whom Tony and Anna were making their way over to. EJ, however, didn't even notice them approaching. He was too busy keeping one eye on Samantha, the other on Lucas. Throughout the night, he kept trying to decide on the perfect moment to approach to her.

"To my garage buddy…Shawn!" Max yelled out, holding his glass up in the air. "And to his future wife…Belle! May all your ups and downs occur beneath the sheets!" They all whooped and cheered for the…eh, they'd lost count how many times. Chelsea and Stephanie were swaying back and forth, mouthing along to the next song that came on.

_I've got trouble, trouble, trouble  
Always knocking at my door.  
Yes, I'm a whole lot of trouble, baby,  
Just like a kid in a candy store.  
Well, I'm nothing but trouble, babe,  
Now since the day that I was born.  
Well, I'm as good as it ever gets.  
Give you something you won't forget.  
If you wanna spell trouble, babe,  
Well, send out an S.O.S._

"…and then she spit up all over me!" Lucas was whining to his mother.

Kate rolled her eyes. "God, Lucas…I honestly don't know what else to tell you! What **do** you want from me?"

"Well, I mean…there's gotta be some reason behind this! It's been six months and nothing's changed!"

"Lucas…" Kate's patience was rapidly thinning out. "I have **told** you what I think you should do. That is the **only **way – that **I** can see, anyway – to end this thing."

_'Cause baby's got something,  
Something you just can't ignore.  
And yeah, it sure is likely, baby,  
You'll keep coming back for more._

"You know, Sami," Hope yelled over the music. "This song kind of reminds me of you!"

They were about to walk outside and get some air when Sami stopped and burst out laughing. "Aunt Hope! I am **so **not like that!" she defended herself. "…Anymore." They both giggled like giddy schoolgirls.

Suddenly, Sami's smile faded slightly. She glanced over at her aunt. "You know, EJ once told me he loved trouble. He said it was one of the reasons he liked me so much."

Hope reached over and put her hand on Sami's arm. "You two have been in the same room together for the past three hours and you've barely looked at each other. Maybe **you **should make the first move."

Sami gave an exasperated sigh. "But I already **made **the first move! **I **wrote him the letter!"

Hope was the only one Sami had confided in. She was too afraid of what her mother might think and didn't feel as close to her aunt Kayla or the other women. Her aunt, however, always seemed to have a sixth sense about these things. She was the one who questioned Sami's feelings about EJ last summer. So that's why Sami had confessed to her.

"Well, then," Hope replied matter-of-factly. "Make the **second **move!"__

I've got a wicked taste for trouble  
And I'm never, never satisfied.  
Yeah, I'm a whole lot of trouble, baby,  
And my evil ways can't hide.

Oh, my, my.

As EJ was watching them, the song suddenly made it's way into his head. The words were practically speaking his thoughts.

'_Ah, yes,_' he thought to himself. '_Definitely Samantha's song_.'

He then remembered something he'd said to Samantha the year before. He hated to remember the place they had been in in each other's lives at that time…in fact, he hated to remember **anything **about that time. However, no matter where their relationship stood he had always let her know how he truly felt.

He was remembering the time he'd told Samantha, "I love trouble. It's one of the reasons I like you so much."

EJ almost laughed out loud. Could the night **be **any more ironic?__

Well, I've been itching for some trouble, baby,  
Every single day that I'm alive.

Tony leaned away from Anna, who was ordering herself a Jack and Coke, to whisper to EJ, "Now, what's with that look on your face? Drink too much champagne already?"

EJ whipped his head around to his older brother, unaware that Tony had come up next to him. He was also unaware that he'd had any "look" on his face. But, Tony had already seen where EJ was looking.

Tony gave a knowing smile. He gave a mischievous look towards his love-sick brother. Like Sami, EJ had confessed to the only person he could trust. He had told Tony all about the letter he'd received from Samantha.

"What are you waiting for?" Tony asked.

To that, EJ had no answer.__

Come on, baby. Come on, darling.  
Come on, sugar.

_Now listen:_

As Sami was contemplating between continuing outside with her aunt or, indeed, doing what Hope had said, she felt a pair of big, strong – yet gentle – hands on her waist. Before Sami could react she caught Hope's little smirk. Then, she recognized just who it was that was behind her.

_  
Can't you see the way I move?  
Can't you read it in my hips?  
There's a lot that's going on  
In my pocket full of tricks.  
Got some secrets up my sleeve  
If you know just what I mean.  
Got places you've never been.  
Take you out of your skin._

Hope backed away back towards their table. EJ backed out through the door, still holding onto Sami's waist.

"Now, did you really mean all that?" he whispered in her ear once they were outside with the door shut behind them.

Sami turned around in his arms. She stared deep into his perfect brown eyes. It felt like her heart was about to jump right out of her body. This was it. This was the moment she had been waiting for. It was now or never. She'd already screwed up their first chance almost two years ago. She couldn't let this one pass her by, too.

"Yes," she breathed. "Of course, I did."

EJ gave her that little half-smile that always secretly made her melt. "Good," he stated.

They stared at each other for what felt like a lifetime. Then, they found themselves drawing closer…closer…__

Well, I'm trouble, trouble, trouble, baby,  
Always knocking at my door.  
Yes, I'm a whole lot of lot of trouble, baby.  
Ooh, since the day that I…was born

…until contact was made at last. And everything felt right in the world.


	6. Don't Make Me Love You

This chapter kind of sucks. I'm not thrilled with it. I promise I'll get to work on the next one right away. Hopefully, it'll turn out better. Anywho, I edited some parts of the song (mostly chorus repeating itself) because it just got way too…well, repetitive. It doesn't flow well with the story while listening to it anyway. I just liked the way the lyrics played into it.

Thanks for the comments and school was pretty good. We were let out of math 40 min early! lol

**Song is "Don't Make Me Love You" by Christina Aguilera.**

Hope came back to the table and sat down nonchalantly. She prayed that nobody noticed Sami was missing. How would she be able to cover it up? There was **no way **she could come out and say Sami was with EJ.

At that thought, she prayed nobody noticed EJ was missing, either.

"Hope, I thought Sami was with you?" Marlena asked suddenly, turning to her.

'_Crp._'

"Oh! Um…yea. She is. She was," Hope replied. "She just…uh, made a detour. To the bathroom. Yep, she's in there."

"Oh. Ok, then." Marlena said, buying it. She resumed her conversation with Adrienne and Billie.

Hope breathed a sigh of relief. '_This is gonna get interesting…_' she thought, taking a big mouthful of wine.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tony looking her way. He raised his eyebrows at her, as well as his wineglass: An unspoken agreement to try to keep their relatives' whereabouts secret.

Outside, Sami and EJ were completely oblivious to what was going on inside Chez Rouge. The only thing they were aware of was each other and the deep, passionate kiss they were currently wrapped up in.

That is, until Sami's conscious began to creep into her mind.

_Don't make me love you till I'm ready.  
Don't make me give you more than my kisses.  
I need you to go slow and steady.  
Don't make me love you till I'm ready._

"EJ…" she breathed, tearing her lips away from his reluctantly. But EJ wouldn't – couldn't – let her go. He pulled her back in, close up against his body.

Sami tried again. This time she grabbed his face between her hands before he could pull her back. They were both out of breath.

"What?" he managed to get out.__

Why you wanna rush into my life?  
Don't you wanna stop and get to know me better?  
We got all the time in the world tonight  
And if we're meant to be we'll be together.  
Stay around, just slow it down  
Till we find out if we got what it takes.

Sami shook her head, trying to figure out how to best word this. "We can't," she stated painfully.

"What? What do you mean we ca –?" EJ started.

"No!" she interrupted. In a calmer voice, she continued, "I didn't mean it like that. I meant…we can. We **will**. I just…I don't know. I was hoping maybe we could…talk about this first?"

"Talk about it? What's there to talk about? I **love **you, Samantha. And you admitted that you love me, too. What are we talking about?" EJ argued, almost afraid she was going to retract everything she'd written in that letter.

"I want to do this **right **this time," she answered, slowly but firmly.__

Don't make me love you till I'm ready.  
Don't make me give you more than my kisses.  
I need you to go slow and steady.  
Don't make me love you till I'm ready.

EJ signed and dropped his hands to his sides. He raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to explain more.

Sami signed, too. Then, "You're right. I **do **love you, EJ. You…you mean everything to me. It's just…I'm still married to Lucas. I'm not in love him, but I'm still married to him. And…I just…"__

Everything I know about you so far  
Makes me believe that you're the one for me.  
But, there's still a lot that's on my mind  
And I need time before we go further.  
Don't you see?  
So hold me, fold me, but don't be  
Thinking I don't want you, too.

Slowly, EJ understood what she was trying to say. "You want to end things with him before we get seriously involved," he finished for her.

"Yes," she nodded her head sadly. "EJ, I'm sorry but I just feel like that's the right thing to do."

"Samantha…" He reached out to pull her into his arms. "It's ok. I understand. I've waited this long…what's a little bit longer?" he joked.

Sami closed her eyes against the tears starting to run down her cheeks, realizing again why she loved him so much. __

"There's just so many things I have to deal with right now," she murmured against his chest. "I haven't given **one** thought to how I'm going to tell Lucas I want out, I have to break it to my family, I have to worry about Kate and L –"

"Hey," EJ cut in, tilting her chin up to look at him. "Don't worry. You're not alone, sweetheart. I'm always right here, you know that."

"I know," Sami whispered, reaching up to kiss him again.__

Don't make me love you.  
Don't make me give you.

_I need you to go.  
Don't make me love you._

Slowly, they pulled away from each other.

"I guess…we should go back inside," EJ said, regretfully.

"I guess so," Sami replied. "Don't need anyone getting suspicious."

They exchanged a look. They both knew who "anyone" really meant.__

Don't make me love you, don't make.  
Don't make me give you more than my kisses.  
I need you to go slow and steady, baby.  
Don't make me love you till I'm ready.

They both eased back into Chez Rouge. No one seemed to notice they'd been gone. No one seemed to realize they'd been outside together for the past twenty minutes.

And that's exactly how Sami wanted it. For now.


	7. Without You

Posting now, since I hafta be back at school for math at 3:30. Gag meeeee.

Jacko – thanks so much! One of the things you're waiting for will be answered in this chapter ;-)

Paige – I read their's, too! I love them. and thanx!

CANDYE – thanks so much, and you'll get your answer!

Redhead – idk, I thought it was boring, lol. Thanks, though!

The song doesn't really relate in some parts, just to let ya know. I guess it just reflects how Sami's feeling.

**Song is "Without You" by Christina Aguilera.**

A week had passed since Shawn and Belle's engagement party. Lucas was rarely around and when he was, he was trying to instill his stupid ideas into Sami's head. Which, of course, usually resulted in a huge fight and him storming out.

But now, she didn't let that bother her. Because now she had EJ to turn to. Well, she had always had EJ to turn to...but now, it felt like something solid was around them. Sami knew for sure that was how it was supposed to be. When he was around, all of Sami's problems disappeared.

_Have I been blind?  
For the first time in my life I feel I've opened up my eyes.  
Since you've arrived, like an angel from the sky,  
I'm on a spiritual high._

Such as the one going on now.

"You're **crazy**!" she screamed at Lucas.

"**I'm **crazy?! I'm not the crazy one here, Sami!" he screamed back. "**You're **the one who refuses to see it like it is!"

"Oh, my God. Lucas," she tried to reason. "The way **you **see it is absolutely ridiculous. You're completely brainwashed! Kate has brainwashed you!"

"You know what?" Lucas asked, grabbing his jacket. "Screw this and screw **you**, Sami! I'm out."

And with that, he slammed out of the apartment.

_So don't you ever go away.  
I could never face.  
Losing you would kill my faith  
In a higher place._

Which is why, 10 minutes later, EJ found himself in Sami's apartment as she said, "EJ, honestly. I have no idea what I would do without you. I would totally fall apart." She had just finished telling him what happened.

"I can't argue with that," he winked at her.

"Ha ha," she replied sarcastically.

Then, EJ turned serious. "Samantha, I need to ask you something. I know that you said you aren't in love with Lucas. You just told me you've been doing nothing but fighting – why? What's happened?"

Sami swallowed nervously. She hadn't discussed this with anyone. Then again, this was EJ. She had nothing to hide from him.

"It's Colleen," she whispered. "The baby, not my great-aunt."

EJ looked alarmed. "What's wrong with her?"

"Nothing's wrong with her!" she quickly assured him. "It's just…"

"Just what, Samantha?" he gently encouraged her.__

What kind of world  
Would it be without you?  
I couldn't breathe without you here.  
What kind of world  
Would I see without you?  
I can't dream without you here.

"He wants to do a DNA test on her," Sami admitted gravely.

"DNA test? Again, after they've been born? What? Why?" EJ asked in disbelief.

Sami clenched her jaw. "He's convinced that Colleen is not his."

"But if she's not his…" EJ started. His eyes met hers and went wide in understanding. "Is that even possible?!"

Sami shrugged. "My had said it could be."

EJ closed his eyes. "Ok. Wait. First of all, **why **would Lucas think that Colleen isn't his?"

"Because she hates him," Sami stated simply.

He gave her a look. "She's six months old. How could she **hate **him?"

"Seriously, EJ, she hates him. They don't get along. All she does is cry around him. **Only **him. He can't make her sleep, laugh, eat…she throws up on him every time he tries to feed her!"

EJ busted out laughing. "It's not funny!" Sami cried out, yet laughing herself.

They were interrupted by the sound of Colleen crying in the next room.__

Beautiful boy,  
How on earth did I do something worth deserving you?  
My better half,  
How I cherish through and through every part of you.  
I do.

"Wanna hold her?" Sami asked EJ as she came back in carrying the tiny dark-blonde girl.

EJ reached out to take her…and immediately, she stopped crying as soon as she was in his arms. It was like a magic effect.

Sami met his eyes with a wary look. "That was…strange."

"You're telling me." He looked down at Colleen and she gave him a toothless smile in return.

"EJ…" Sami started. "She's never done that for anyone except me."__

Loving you's made me whole.  
Now I belong.  
I found my heart.  
Promise me we'll always stay  
The way we are today.

He gave her a blank look. "So…what are you saying?"

"I don't know" she answered, confused. "I'm just saying…um, she must really like you."

"Right."

"Exactly."

They stood there in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts. It **was** just a coincidence, right?

Finally, EJ broke the silence. "Ok, so…just because she doesn't cooperate with him means that she's not his daughter?"

Sami rolled her eyes. "Kate's idea, not mine. Now she's got Lucas on that bandwagon."

"Ah. I see."

Thoughtful silence again.

"I guess I should try and get her back to sleep," Sami eventually said. But when she started to take Colleen out of EJ's arms, the baby started to whimper and pushed her tiny face into his neck.

"Oh, ok then…" she said.

EJ smiled at her. "It's kind of funny, don't you think?"__

What kind of world  
Would it be without you?  
I couldn't breathe without you here.  
What kind of world  
Would I see without you?  
I can't dream without you here.

Sami started to smile but it vanished in an instant. "Hilarious," she said flatly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I just have to worry about keeping her away from Kate. She'll just comment again on how the baby hates Lucas and…I just can't deal with it."

"That's why **I'm** here, sweetheart. So you **can **deal with it."

"I know," Sami murmured. "EJ, I love you so much. Thank God you're here."

"Love you, too," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "And I'm not going anywhere. I promise."__

I can't ever imagine  
If this never had happened.  
I thank God everyday.  
Almost lost you forever,  
But, I always remember  
That you're my saving grace.

What kind of world  
(what kind of world)  
Would it be without you?  
(oh, without you)  
I couldn't breathe without you here.  
(oh, here)  
What kind of world  
(what kind of world)  
Would I see without you?  
(oh, see without you)  
I can't dream without you here.  
(dream without you here)


	8. Fighter

**Song is "Fighter" by Christina Aguilera**

_After all you put me through,  
You'd think I'd despise you.  
But, in the end  
I wanna thank you 'cause you made that much stronger._

The next afternoon, Sami was sitting alone in the pub. Tom and Colleen were with Marlena and John. She was waiting. Waiting for Lucas. This would be the first attempt at a civil conversation with him in weeks. But it needed to be done.

The door opened and in walked…Kate. Of course, as soon as she spotted Sami sitting alone she had to go over and be a nuisance.

"Oh, hello, Sami," Kate said in a tone of completely faked niceness. "Dining alone, are we?"

"No," Sami responded testily. "I happen to be waiting for your son."

"Ah, yes. Lucas. It's so nice to see you still remember he exists."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Sami said angrily.

"Oh, well, it's just that you've been so wrapped up in EJ I thought you'd forgotten you're married to Lucas."

Sami's eyes widened. "Excuse me?"

Kate gave a self-satisfied smirk. "I see you've also forgotten I still work with him. I can **hear **his phone conversations, you know."

"How about you stay out of my business, Kate?"

"Fine, Sami. I'll be sure to tell EJ I saw you when I get back." She smiled deviously.

"You don't need to say anything to him," Sami said quickly.

Kate's eyebrows raised. "Oh? **Oh**, that's right. I heard him speaking with you. He thinks you're out with Belle, helping her plan the wedding."

When Sami just sat there glaring at her, Kate knew she had hit the nail on the head. "Hm. Don't worry, Sami. My lips are sealed." And she sailed back out of the pub.

A few minutes later, Lucas came in. He sat down across from Sami. "Alright Sami. What's so important that you needed to discuss with me?__

Well, I thought I knew you, thinkin' that you were true.  
Guess I, I couldn't trust, called your bluff, time is up  
'Cause I've had enough.  
You were there by my side, always down for the ride,  
But, your joy ride just came down in flames  
'Cause your greed sold me out in shame.

Originally, Sami had wanted to have a nice and calm conversation. However, after that little scene with Kate and now, Lucas' impatience…there was nothing Sami was feeling that was "nice" or "calm." She hadn't **wanted** to tell EJ she was meeting with Lucas. She knew he'd try and talk her into letting him come along. But, this was something she needed to do on her own. Also, she didn't want EJ to know just yet what she wanted to discuss with Lucas. She wanted everything settled before telling him.

"I want out," she gritted.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I want a divorce, Lucas," she clarified. "I can't take this marriage anymore, if you could even call it that. I know we've been through a lot together but you're killing me. It needs to end."

Lucas stared at her blankly. He wasn't expecting this. He shook his head. "Sami, look. I know we've been fighting a lot and I know you hate me right now but, isn't this going a little far?"

"I don't **hate **you, Lucas. But I'm not in love with you. And I doubt if you're in love with me – if you **ever **were, actually!"

"What are you talking about? Of course, I was in love with you!"

"You know what, Lucas? You weren't. Once upon a time, you tried to get me **killed**! You **tortured** me! You drove me **crazy** – literally!"__

After all of the stealing and cheating you probably think that  
I hold resentment for you.  
But, uh uh, oh no, you're wrong.  
'Cause if it wasn't for all that you tried to do, I wouldn't know  
Just how capable I am to pull through.  
So, I wanna say thank you  
'Cause it

"But you what else?" Sami continued. "All that just makes me even **more **sure that I'm doing the right thing. Because of everything you put me through, I realized a lot of things. I realized that I'm a strong person emotionally, that I'm a lot smarter now, that I **can **survive whatever life throws at me."

"Well, good for you, Sami," Lucas replied sarcastically. "That **still **doesn't constitute why you want a divorce."

"Lucas, please. You don't want to be in this marriage any longer anymore than I do."__

Makes me that much stronger,  
Makes me work a little bit harder,  
It makes me that much wiser,  
So, thanks for making me a fighter.  
Made me learn a little bit faster,  
Made my skin a little bit thicker,  
Makes me that much smarter,  
So, thanks for making me a fighter.

While she was on a roll, Sami decided to continue and just let it all out. "I never thought that this would end this way. I never believed that you could turn on me and side with your mother after all this. And go **crying **to her when things don't go your way!"

"Sami, maybe you should re-think this," he pleaded with her.

"No!" she cried out. "You brought this on yourself, Lucas. Deal with it. I'm not putting up with it anymore."

_Never saw it coming, all of your backstabbing  
Just so you could cash in on a good thing before I'd realize your game.  
I heard you're goin' round playin' the victim now,  
But, don't even begin feeling I'm the one to blame  
'Cause you dug your own grave.  
After all of the fights and the lies 'cause you're wanting to haunt me,  
But, that won't work anymore, no more, no no.  
It's over.  
'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture  
I wouldn't know how to be this way now and never back down.  
So, I wanna say thank you  
'Cause it_

Outside the pub, Kate stood peering into the windows.

'_Lips sealed my ss…_' she thought to herself with a smirk.

Her thumb pressed down on the green "Send" button on her cell phone. Flying through the airwaves now was a picture of Sami and Lucas. Sent straight to EJ's phone.

Meanwhile, Lucas was contemplating everything Sami had said. He realized that she was right. They were stuck in a loveless marriage. He was miserable. She was miserable. That would have a bad effect on their kids. Maybe what Sami proposed made sense after all.__

Makes me that much stronger,  
Makes me work a little bit harder,  
It makes me that much wiser,  
So, thanks for making me a fighter.  
Made me learn a little bit faster,  
Made my skin a little bit thicker,  
Makes me that much smarter,  
So, thanks for making me a fighter.

Still watching from outside, Kate felt her cell phone vibrate. EJ was calling.

"Yes?" she answered nonchalantly.

"What the **hell **are you playing at now, Kate?!" EJ roared into her ear.

She held the phone slightly away from her head. "I just thought you'd like to know what "Samantha" might be up to while you were apart," she answered sweetly.

When she heard silence on the other end, Kate continued. "Isn't it lovely finding out the woman you love just lied to you? She's playing you, EJ. How could you trust a woman like that?" she whispered maliciously before hanging up.

_How could this man I thought I knew  
Turn out to be unjust, so cruel?  
Could only see the good in you,  
Pretended not to see the truth.  
You tried to hide your lies, disguise yourself  
Through living in denial.  
But, in the end you'll see  
YOU-WON'T-STOP-ME._

As Sami sat there watching Lucas think, she couldn't help but think to herself how it all went wrong. Lucas was a different person from when they'd first met. She thought he was the most amazing guy. Besides that momentary insanity with Austin, that is. Anyway, she couldn't live with this changed Lucas.

"Well?" Sami eventually asked. "What do you have to say?"

Lucas looked up at her in defeat. "You're right," he admitted. "This marriage…has hit a dead end. You want a divorce? You got it."

Sami breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Thank you," she whispered.

He nodded. "You're welcome. And Sami?"

She looked down at him as she stood up from the table. He also stood.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"I'm sorry, too."

And they gave each other a friendly, parting hug before leaving the pub.

A moment captured yet again by the camera on Kate's phone. A moment yet again sent to EJ's.

_  
I am a fighter and I,  
I ain't goin' stop.  
There is no turning back.  
I've had enough._

Sami sighed. The next thing she had to deal with was her family. Her mom, she knew, would be none-too-pleased. But, this was the new Sami. Or rather, the "old" Sami depending on how you looked at it. She didn't care what her mother, or anyone else for that matter, had to say.

This was her life. And she was living it the way she wanted to.__

Makes me that much stronger,  
Makes me work a little bit harder,  
It makes me that much wiser,  
So, thanks for making me a fighter.  
Made me learn a little bit faster,  
Made my skin a little bit thicker,  
Makes me that much smarter,  
So, thanks for making me a fighter.

In the Mythic offices, a cell phone shattered against the wall. The sound of a door slamming could be heard in the next second.


	9. On Our Way

So I kind of realized that I hadn't been naming the chapters. I guess you could consider the song titles as chapter titles.

Thanks for the comments as always! Edited a verse of the song again. I just don't see the need to repeat the chorus over and over.

**Song is "On Our Way" by Christina Aguilera**

Sami was on her way to Marlena and John's from the pub. She had a lot on her mind.

First, there was Lucas. He had actually agreed to the divorce. That had surprised Sami. She figured he'd fight tooth and nail for them to stay married. Thankfully, he had seen sense. They couldn't stay happily married to each other any longer.

Next, was her family. Marlena would probably have a coronary over this piece of information. She had a feeling that John would most likely side with her mother. Roman and her uncle Bo would think she's insane. '_They're __**all **__going to think I'm insane_,' Sami thought to herself bitterly. The only one she could depend on was Aunt Hope. **She **would support her. Sami found it sad that her own mother most likely couldn't – or wouldn't – give her the same support.

The last thing she had on her mind was EJ. And Kate. Actually, thinking of EJ made her think of Kate and vice versa. Every time Sami thought of telling EJ, she found herself wondering if Kate really had kept her big mouth closed.

She forced Kate out of her mind for the time being. She'd deal with that if and when the problem arose. For now, only EJ was on her mind.

She supposed she probably should have told him where she was going and with who. But, she hadn't wanted to argue with him about it. Sami **knew **he would have wanted to come with her. And she absolutely hated to fight with him. She needed him more than anybody right now. She didn't want anything coming between them in the slightest way.

_Me and you, we're different;  
Don't always see eye to eye.  
You go left and I go right  
And sometimes we even fight.  
That don't mean that I won't need a friend.  
You and me, we're in this 'til the end._

Now that Lucas had agreed to give her the divorce, though, Sami could look forward to being with EJ for real. After the papers were signed, they wouldn't have to restrain themselves any longer. They wouldn't have to meet with each other in private. They could go out wherever they wanted without raising anyone's suspicion.

They would finally be able to put their past behind them and concentrate on the future.__

I think we're on our way.  
Through all the lows and highs  
I need you by my side, singing.  
I think we're on our way.  
To better days, better days.  
Let's say we turn the page,  
Move on from all the times  
Should've laughed, not cried, feeling.  
What is there more to say?  
I think that we're on our way.

Even though Sami wasn't even out of one marriage yet, she found herself picturing a new one. EJ and herself. Husband and wife. After all this time, Sami finally started to let herself believe it could really happen.

Meanwhile, back at their apartment building, EJ had just thrown open the door to his apartment.

He needed to get out of there.__

Together we'll weather  
Many storms as family.  
That bond is forever.  
It can take almost anything.  
The love I feel for you grows everyday  
The more we get to learn from our mistakes.

The thought of marriage made Sami think of family. She and EJ would be their own family, of course sharing custody of Will and the twins with Lucas. Suddenly, she thought of what Lucas had been going on about the past few weeks.

Maybe they **should **get that test done on Colleen. It wouldn't harm her. It would put Lucas' suspicions to rest. They could settle, once and for all, the twins' true paternity.

As Sami approached the street her mother's was on, she found herself not being able to hold her happiness in. As soon as she got the twins, she would head over to the Mythic offices and tell EJ what was going on.__

I think we're on our way.  
Through all the lows and highs  
I need you by my side, singing.  
I think we're on our way.  
To better days, better days.  
Let's say we turn the page,  
Move on from all the times  
Should've laughed, not cried, feeling.  
What is there more to say?  
I think that we're on our way.

"Hey, Mom," Sami greeted Marlena upon stepping into the living room.

"Oh, hi, Sami," Marlena replied, kissing her daughter hello. "How did the shopping go?"

Sami had told Marlena, like EJ, that she would be going out with Belle to help plan the wedding. Belle had agreed to corroborate the story, even though she had no idea what Sami was really up to.

"Um, it was good. Great, actually!"

"That's wonderful, honey. Would you like something to drink? Eat?"

"No, no," Sami rushed on. "I was hoping to just get Tom and Colleen and head home. I'm a little tired."

"Oh, do you want to leave them a little longer then?" Marlena offered.

"No, Mom. Thank you, though. I don't want to take advantage."

"Don't be silly, Sami. You wouldn't be taking advantage," Marlena said while handing over the twins in their carriers to Sami.

"Thanks, Mom. Maybe another time. I'll talk to you soon." They kissed each other good-bye and Sami headed out.

After getting the twins securely into the car, Sami headed over to Mythic. After she told EJ what happened with Lucas, she was hoping he would help her figure out how to break the news to her family. She had no idea what she was going to say to them. '_Everyone, Lucas and I are getting divorced. We decided we don't love each other anymore_.' Sami almost laughed out loud at that idea. They'd never let her off with that pathetic excuse.__

Someday soon, I'll need advice.  
Hope you're there to shed some light.  
And maybe one day you'll be wanting mine  
And we can be there, be there for each other.

In the hallway outside EJ's office, Sami ran into Kate.

"Ah. Hello again, Sami. What brings you down here?" Kate asked.

Sami let out a sigh. She put the twins' carriers down. This was the **last **thing she needed. Not one, but **two**, run-ins with Kate in one day.

"Why do you **think **I'm here?" she asked Kate sarcastically.

"Oh, of course. Silly me!" Kate replied. "Actually, Sami, EJ's not here."

"Well, where is he?" Sami demanded impatiently.

"He left," Kate answered.

"Left to go where?" Sami was getting angrier and more irritated by the second.

"How should I know? All I know is that there was some banging around and suddenly EJ comes flying out of his office like a bat out of he11," Kate supplied.

Sami's eyebrows knitted. She narrowed her eyes. "Did you happen to speak with him today?" she asked warily.

"No, Sami. I have not spoken to him since I arrived." Kate rolled her eyes.

Without giving an answer, Sami picked up the twins again and left. Kate let a devious smirk creep on to her face.

Before getting into her car, Sami tried EJ's cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. Trying to keep calm, Sami told herself he was probably in an area with no cell service.__

I think we're on our way  
To better days, better days.  
Let's say we turn the page,  
Move on from all the times  
Should've laughed, not cried.  
What is there more to say? (no more to say)  
I think that we are on our way.

Upon arriving back at the apartment, Sami noticed EJ's door slightly ajar. Will was home from school by this time, so she dropped the twins off in there with him.

Back across the hall, she opened the door all the way. His apartment was a complete **mess**. It looked like it had been transformed into a war zone. Couch cushions were everywhere. The chairs were turned over. The lamps were on their sides, one broken into a million little pieces. Clothes were scattered throughout the room.

Feeling panic rise inside her, Sami called out, "EJ?!"

She heard sounds from his bedroom. Cautiously making her way over, she spotted EJ inside. There were open suitcases all over the place – on the bed, on the floor. Some were empty, others were spilling over with clothes. He was currently stuffing more clothes into one of the cases on his bed.__

No more to say.  
No more to say.

"EJ?"

He looked up at her. Sami took a step back. She'd never seen that look on his face before. Eyes so vacant they looked like a zombie's. Eyes that stared right through her.

"What…what happened? What are you doing?" she managed to get out.

EJ stared blankly at her for a few seconds. Finally, he answered her: "I'm leaving."__

No more to say.


	10. No More Love

To anyone reading this, by the way, anything I write before the start of the chapter is usually directed to my friend at the soapoperafan forum, lol. I didn't anyone getting confused about what I'd said.

**Song is "No More Love" by Shinedown.**

Sami stared at EJ for what felt like an eternity, uncomprehending. Her brain couldn't begin to process what he'd just told her. It didn't seem real. EJ standing there, packing his bags. He looked like he'd beaten himself up, also. His tie was gone, his shirt was wrenched open, his jacket thrown carelessly into the corner. Basically, he looked like hell. It was like a scene from a movie.

Finally, EJ broke eye contact and turned back to his suitcase. He didn't say anything more. Outside, the wind began to pick up.

Eventually, Sami found her voice. "Leaving?" she croaked. "What do you mean, leaving?"

"Just what I said, Sami. I'm leaving," he answered in a stony voice.

She winced at his reply. Sami? Yes, she had picked up on that. Not Samantha, but Sami.

"Well, where are you going?"

"Home," he answered shortly.

_It's cold outside. I'm sensing fear.  
My self control has disappeared.  
I'm spinning out at each end.  
Could you be kind and let me in?_

Suddenly, Sami started to feel sick – nauseous. Her heartbeat sped up and she started to feel dizzy. It felt like she'd broken into a cold sweat.

"You – you mean England?" she stuttered.

"Exactly."

EJ had come to the conclusion that he couldn't live in this apartment any longer. Scratch that. He couldn't stay in Salem. It was too small of a town. Everyone he saw and every thing he'd see would remind him of Samantha. He couldn't deal with that.

There was nothing left for him in this place. He had no family, except for Tony. Lexie and Benji had barely forgiven him for the things he'd done. His father was half-dead. Tony was the only one left. He supposed they could visit each other after he left.

As for the friends he'd made – mostly Roman, Steve, John, Bo, and Hope – well…they could still keep in touch.

Otherwise, he was completely alone._  
_

_Despite the writing on the wall,  
My future's bleak and rather small.  
That's all you could ever take from me.  
I've got nothing to lose so let me be._

"Now, would you kindly let me pack my belongings in peace?" he asked frostily.

Stunned for a second, Sami cried out, "No! I'm not leaving, EJ. Not until you tell me what's going on."

He looked back up at her. His eyes blazed with a fury she'd never seen before.

"You want to know what's going on? I'll tell you what's going on." He slammed the lid of the case in front of him.

"You **lied** to me, Sami! You made me believe – yet again – that it was **me **you were in love with!" he shouted. "But it was all a lie, wasn't it?! You couldn't stay away from Lucas! You can't live without him there, can you?!"

As he was yelling Sami took a few steps back, tears streaming from her deep blue eyes. In all the time she'd known him, she couldn't remember him **ever **raising his voice at her like that.

"EJ, no –" she started shakily.__

Well, I sized you up; your not that strong.  
You're weak inside, I knew all along.  
This made up army you fight in your head  
Destroyed your worth and pronounced you dead.

"EJ, no. EJ, no – **what**?" he bit out. "You can't try and talk your way out of this, Sami. I **saw **you with Lucas! I **saw **you together!"

Saw them? She figured Kate must have opened her mouth. Then, what did he mean by "saw them"?

At Sami's confused look, he stated: "A picture's worth a thousand words, you know. Two pictures – two thousand."

Slowly, Sami began to realize what happened. She wasn't stupid. She realized that Kate must have still been hiding out at the pub, taken pictures of her and Lucas together, and sent them to EJ. Anything to ruin her life.

"EJ…please," she said in an almost inaudible voice. "Don't leave. Let me explain."

"Explain? Explain **what**?!" he yelled. He held up his hand before she could reply. "No, Sami – don't even waste your breath. As of now, there is nothing between us. I **loved **you, dammit! I don't understand what else I had to do to make you realize it! What did you want from me, Sami?! How many times did I have to put my life on the line for you?! Until I was **dead**?!"

By now, she couldn't control the tears anymore. Her body was shaking with uncontrollable sobs. All she could do was mutely shake her head.

"I have nothing left here, Sami," EJ said quietly, slowly, deadly. "You were it for me. But you ripped it all away."

_Despite the writing on the wall,  
My future's bleak and rather small.  
That's all you could ever take from me.  
I've got nothing to lose so let me be._

Somehow, Sami managed to find her voice. "EJ, please…" she tried again. "It's not how it looked! I love you! You **know **that!"

"No, you don't. You don't love me. You never did and you never will. All I was to you was some sort of a, a knight in shining armor. There when you needed me, and nothing more," EJ answered in the most heart-breaking voice she'd ever heard.

Shaking his head, he went on. "I can't love you anymore, Sami. It's a waste of time, a waste of my heart. Loving **you** is killing **me**."__

There's no more love.  
There's no more love.  
There's no more love for me and you. (Listen to me)  
No more love.  
There's no more love.  
There's no more love for me and you. (Listen to me)

EJ picked up two of his packed suitcases, along with his suit jacket, and walked past Sami to the door. He supposed he'd have Tony send the rest of his belongings over after he arrived in England.

Sami ran out of the bedroom behind him. She couldn't let him walk out on her. Not again.

"EJ, you've got it all wrong! I really do love you!" she cried out.

Before opening the door to the hall, he closed his eyes and turned around. He opened them again. Sami felt a flicker of hope rise inside her, but, his next words doused that flame.

"If you truly loved me, Sami…you never would have played this sick joke on me. You never would have lied to me. You never would have went behind my back to see **him**."

And with that, he walked out of the room.__

The cruelest joke that has played on me  
Is all planned out so I can't leave.  
Now quietly I will walk away.  
There is no bad blood but I can't stay.  
There is no more love because there is no more love.

Walked out of the apartment building.

Walked out on Salem.__

Despite the writing on the wall,  
My future's bleak and rather small.  
That's all you could ever take from me.  
I've got nothing to lose so let me be.

Walked out of Sami's life.

And her heart.__

There's no more love.  
There's no more love.  
There's no more love for me and you. (Listen to me)  
No more love.  
There's no more love.  
There's no more love for me and you. (Listen to me)


	11. Reflection

Thanks to all who reviewed/commented! AND – I just realized we're halfway through the story! Unless I add chapters in…we'll see.

**Song is "Reflection" by Christina Aguilera.**

The next afternoon John, Marlena, Bo, and Hope were sitting in the Brady pub. EJ had called them the night before, as well as Roman and Steve, to let them know he was going back to England and he was sorry he wouldn't have time to see them before he left.

"I still can't believe he left Salem," Bo was saying incredulously.

"Yea…it's a shame," John sighed. "I actually started to like the guy."

"He really didn't give any reason for leaving?" Hope asked in a concerned voice.

"Nope," Bo answered.

Marlena put her coffee cup down. "I don't see that it really matters either way," she said indifferently.

They all turned to look at her strangely and she defended her statement: "Look what he did to our family!"

"Oh, baby, you still haven't gotten past that?" John asked.

"Yea, come on. He's not the same man that tortured our family. He's practically rid himself of the DiMera name!" Hope added.

"He raped my daughter!" Marlena cried stubbornly.

Bo stepped in after that. "He did **not **rape Sami. She admitted it herself, Marlena. Come on, don't you remember that?"

Marlena fell silent. It had still happened. She didn't care what Sami admitted or not – she hated him. She couldn't get past everything EJ had done, especially to John, even though the others had forgiven him and recognized that he had redeemed himself – many times over. She just couldn't let it go.

Just then, Sami burst into the pub. She spotted her family and walked over to sit down with them.

"Sami, honey, what's the matter?" Marlena immediately asked.

She looked like a complete mess. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was in a messy bun, she had no makeup on, and her face was red and blotchy. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, when in reality it was only one night.

"Nothing," Sami answered. "I'm fine. Just…the twins had me up all night. They're with Lucas now."

Little did they know, "with Lucas" didn't mean back at the apartment. Lucas had moved out and bought his own place not far away.

"How about a nice, strong coffee then?" John offered. "You look like you need it."

Sami gave a faint smile. "That would be great. Thanks, John."

"I'll come with you," Marlena said, feeling the need to be near her husband constantly.

After they left the table, Hope turned to Sami. "Sweetie, can I talk to you? Outside?" Sami looked at her and saw the hidden message in Hope's eyes. She nodded and they stood up, leaving a bewildered Bo at the table alone.

"Women," he muttered, shaking his head.

Hope led Sami to the bench outside the pub and sat down.

Without beating around the bush, Hope asked, "Wanna tell me the truth about why you look like that?"

_Look at me.  
You may think you see who I really am,  
But, you'll never know me.  
Every day it's as if I play a part.  
Now I see   
If I wear a mask, I can fool the world,  
But, I cannot fool my heart._

Sami took one look at her aunt, so caring and sympathetic, she almost broke down. "Aunt Hope, he's gone," she said, her voice breaking.

"Oh, honey," Hope said, hugging her niece. "I know. Do you want to tell me what happened?"

And Sami proceeded to tell her the whole story. Lying to EJ about where she was going, speaking to Kate, her conversation with Lucas, running into Kate at the offices, coming home and finding EJ packing his bags, and realizing what Kate must have done.

"And now he's gone!" Sami finished, sobbing. "I never should have lied to him! I should have kept trying to make him listen! God!" she cried, sitting up straight, away from Hope. "I don't even **recognize** myself anymore! What kind of person have I become? I make myself **sick**!"

_Who is that girl I see  
Staring straight back at me?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?_

"Sami…" Hope tried to comfort her. "You tried to do the right thing. This isn't your fault."

"How could you say it's not my fault? If I hadn't lied…"

"I know. I know. But, Sami, you **were **going to tell him. It's just because Kate interfered, it all went wrong. Have you tried calling him?"

"No," Sami sniffled. "I'm too afraid to. He hates me now, Aunt Hope!"

"Sami. He doesn't hate you. No matter what he says, EJ could **never **hate you," Hope replied matter-of-factly.

"I just feel so lost…" Sami whispered, feeling the tears come back behind her eyes. "I don't know what I'm gonna do without him here."

"I know, honey. Listen, why don't you go home and get some rest? Lucas has the twins – God help him. I'll tell John and Marlena you went home to sleep, ok? I'm not going to tell them what happened."

Sami nodded. "Thank you so much." She gave Hope a hug and headed home.

_I am now  
In a world where I have to hide my heart  
And what I believe in.  
But, somehow  
I will show the world  
What's inside my heart  
And be loved for who I am._

Back at her apartment, Sami stood inside the door. Thank God that she had her aunt to help her with this. Sami knew she would never be able to talk to her mother about EJ. She hated him, and Sami knew it.

She hated the fact that she had to lie about the most significant part of her life to her family. They would judge her and, worst case scenario, probably disown her or something if she ever told them what was really going on.

Someday, though…if EJ ever came back to her…she'd let them know. And she'd make them be ok with it.

Sami went into the bathroom to splash some cold water on her face. She needed to get the puffiness around her eyes down. As she was straightening up from over the sink, she caught sight of herself in the mirror.__

Who is that girl I see  
staring straight back at me?  
Why is my reflection  
Someone I don't know?

'_Who am I?_' Sami thought to herself. '_When did I become this person? I shouldn't be hiding out in here just because my life went wrong._'

She was sick and tired of pretending to be a completely changed woman for her family's sake. She knew that once this divorce got under way, she wouldn't be able to fake being happily married to Lucas much longer. Especially now that EJ was gone, she couldn't act content every hour of the day.

_  
Must I pretend that I'm  
Someone else for all time?  
When will my reflection show  
Who I am inside?_

As Sami gazed at herself in the mirror, she thought more and more of how unfair it was that she had to hold all of this inside her. All the hurt and anger and confusion. Letting it out to her aunt wasn't enough.

Why couldn't she reveal everything she felt to her mother without being afraid of the results? That wasn't how it was supposed to work. She wanted to be able to share all her thoughts and feelings with Marlena. She was sick of pretending to be someone else just for her mother's happiness.__

There's a heart that must be free to fly  
That burns with a need to know   
The reason why.  
Why must we all conceal  
What we think,  
How we feel?  
Must there be a secret me  
I'm forced to hide?  
I won't pretend that I'm  
Someone else for all time.

Sami let out a sigh. She knew what she had to do for now. She couldn't go to her mother. She couldn't go to anyone else in her family.

There was only one place in Salem that she knew she could go to. One place where she knew she wouldn't be judged for what she was feeling.__

When will my reflection show  
who I am inside?

Tomorrow, she would go and let it all out.

Taking one last glance in the mirror, Sami turned to try and get some much-needed sleep. Though, she doubted it would be dreamless.__

When will my reflection show  
who I am inside?


	12. Mercy On Me

So, I started work on this chapter while I should have been working on vocabulary for school. Yes, vocabulary in college. WTF.

Anyway, if the content in this offends anyone I'm sorryin advance.

**Song is "Mercy On Me" by Christina Aguilera.**

St. Luke's.

This was where Sami decided she needed to go. She felt like a lost soul. She needed guidance. She needed to confess what she'd done to the only man who truly loved her for who she was. And since she couldn't rely on her family for support, save for her aunt, this was the best place she could think of.

Hence, after dropping Tom and Colleen off at her mother's – she took pity on Lucas after his ordeal with Colleen the day before –, Sami came here.

_Lord, have mercy on my soul,  
For I have walked a sinful road,  
That I'm down on my knees.  
Lord have mercy on me, please._

The church was completely empty at this time, which suited Sami just fine. She needed to be alone in her thoughts. She didn't want any distractions and she didn't want anyone to overhear anything she was about to say.

Sami stood in the middle of the church, feeling a tiny bit awkward. She **did **pray every now and then (getting stuck in that steam-room with EJ came to mind), but, it wasn't something she did regularly. Finally, she just decided to go for it and let it all out. Not to anyone in particular, just aloud.

Making the sign of the cross, she began, choosing her words carefully. "God, I didn't know where else to turn so I came here. I feel…absolutely horrible right now. I can't go to my family. I don't really have any friends. I guess you can say I'm pretty much alone right now. And…as a result of that, I've done some really bad things. Not just recently, but over many years."

She stopped, wondering how she should proceed.__

Jesus, I must confess  
That in all my loneliness  
I've forsaken and I've sinned,  
Leaving fragments of a man so broken.

"I guess could start to list every thing I've done in my life. But You probably already know all about them. It might be better if I tell You about the last…awful…thing I've done."

Tears started to form behind Sami's eyes, making it hard for her to continue. Every time she thought about lying to EJ, she felt sick. She had lost the love of her life because she was being stupid and stubborn.

"Actually," she continued in a strained voice. "You probably know about that, too. So You won't mind if I don't say exactly what happened. It hurts too much…"__

I could tell you what I've done.  
Or should I tell you where I went wrong?  
Well, the more that I start to play,  
My deceitful, evil ways  
Keep on growing stronger by the day.

_Oh, Lord, have mercy on my soul,  
For I have walked a sinful road.  
So, I'm gonna get down on my knees,  
Beg forgiveness to help set me free.  
Lord have mercy on me, please._

"I took him for granted," she went on. "I didn't think of what would happen. I just did what I thought was best and easiest for me. And I know now that that wasn't fair. I was selfish."

Sami paused again, waiting for the next words to come to her.

Shaking her head, she continued, "I don't want to be "evil Sami" anymore. My family has finally accepted me. I can't keep…**wronging **people anymore! I don't **want **to! I thought my streak of causing harm to the people I love was broken. Well," she choked back a sob. "It is now. I promise myself now that I'm not going to hurt them anymore. After losing him, I can't bear to lose anyone else…"

She took a deep, steadying breath, trying her hardest not to break down all over again. She'd been doing nothing but crying since EJ left. Usually, Colleen joined her in it. Sami didn't even know if he had managed to get to England all right. No one had spoken to him since he left.

Sami turned her head upwards toward the ceiling. "Please, please watch over him," she whispered. "Make sure that he's ok."__

Mother Mary, full of grace.  
In my weakness, I've lost faith.  
I've been careless and I have been warned  
And the devil inside me is torn.  
God bless the man that I have scorned.

Sami walked deeper into the church, right up to the altar. Tears were streaming down her face and she'd never felt so lost in her life. She couldn't help but wonder to herself if this was karma's way of coming back to slap her in the face. That because of all she'd done in the past, she was destined to be alone forever.

She didn't want to be trapped in a life with no love around her. For that's what she had right now. Sure, her family loved her – but this wasn't the **real **her. Yes, she had promised she wouldn't be the evil girl from her past. And she honestly was a better person now. But, really, her family didn't know anything about her true thoughts or feelings at all.

She loved EJ Wells. She was getting torn apart inside because he'd left Salem. Her family didn't know that. And if they did know that…well, Sami was **almost** convinced they'd sympathize. But, her mother? The woman who's love was most important to her? Sami doubted that at all.__

Oh, Lord, have mercy on my soul,  
For I have walked a sinful road.  
So, I'm gonna get down on my knees,  
Beg forgiveness to help set me free.  
Lord have mercy on me, please.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sami opened her mouth to speak once again.

"I need help. Please, help me to take control of my life again. I need to get my head on straight for my children's sake. I can't keep screwing things up! God, I know You know everything I've done. I just hope You don't dmn me for it all. I need Your help and guidance in my life. Without that, I'm…lost."

Finally, Sami let the sadness and the loneliness and the feeling of being utterly alone wash over her. She let it all spill out. She couldn't hold it in any longer.

This was the most heart-broken she'd ever felt in her life. Losing Austin, losing Lucas, losing Brandon…none of them compared to the loss she felt over EJ. He was her soul mate.

So, don't let me fool around no more.  
Send your angels down to guide me through that door.  
Well, I've gone and confessed my regrets  
And I pray I'm not held in contempt.  
I'm so lost and I need you to help me repent.

Overcome by the force of her tears, Sami fell to her knees in front of the altar. There, she prayed through her sobs that God forgave her. And if He knew how truly sorry she was, maybe…just maybe…he'd bring her what she wanted back.

For one act of God…causes a chain reaction of events. __

Oh, Lord have mercy on my soul.  
Oh, I'm begging, I'm pleading, I'm needing,  
I want you to know.  
So, I'm down upon my knees.  
Oh, Lord, I need forgiveness.  
I need forgiveness from you.


	13. Back in Black

K, so I'm not using a song in this chapter, contrary to the chapter title, lol. It's just gonna be straight-out. Some of the dialogue is based off quotes I've found that I thought would relate to this perfectly. Warning: It's pretty darn long. So here we go:

One month.

A month had passed since Sami confessed in St. Luke's.

A month since EJ had walked out of her life.

The pain never went away. It was there in everything she did.

Belle and Shawn got married during the weekend that just passed. Sami was Belle's maid-of-honor. Of course, she was happy for her half-sister. But, Sami couldn't help feeling that she would never get to experience what Belle was experiencing. Yes, Sami had had her share of weddings, but, none of them lasted. None of them were to the man she was meant to be with. Obviously.

Also during the past month, her divorce with Lucas went underway. The papers had been drawn up. All that was left was to read through them, make sure everything was right, and sign them. It wouldn't take too much time, since the only things to factor in – such as custody of the children, the apartment, money – was agreed upon beforehand… Sami was not looking forward to going through it all, though. The only thing she could be thankful for was that it would be painless. She and Lucas both wanted this. There wouldn't be any fighting during it.

Last, Sami had finally come clean to her family. Not about EJ – no way. But, she had admitted about the divorce. As she assumed, they all thought she was crazy. Bo, Kayla, Steve, John, and Roman all tried to reason with her. But, when she told them how she felt about Lucas now, they realized they couldn't argue with her. And, to her huge relief, supported her decision. They didn't agree with it and they weren't exactly thrilled, but, they insisted they loved her and supported her.

However, also as she assumed, her mother was currently not speaking to her. She couldn't understand why Sami was doing this. She couldn't understand why the love had faded. She told Sami it was just a mental lapse. It was just the stress of having to care for three children, two of them 6-month-old twins. She even went so far as to accuse Sami of doing this because of EJ Wells. Sami denied it, though she had to leave her mother's as soon as possible after that. That was the last time they'd spoken. It was two weeks ago.

Presently, Sami was sharing a lunch with Hope in the Brady pub with the twins between them. She was venting to her aunt.

"I can't believe it's been two weeks since I've talked to my mother," Sami was saying as she fed some applesauce to Tom.

Hope gave her a sympathetic look. "Honey, as much as I think it's wrong of her not to speak to you, I **do **see where she's coming from."

Sami gave her a doubtful look. "Really."

"Yes, really," Hope nodded. "Sami, she wanted the best for you. Deep down, she's not angry. She just wants you to be happy and she probably feels that divorcing Lucas screws that all up."

"Yea, well…I'm not the little girl she wanted me to be," Sami sighed. "I'm not the person she wants me to be, and you know what? I'm **not** sorry about it."

Hope didn't say anything and Sami continued. "Really, it's fine. I've got Will and I've got Tom and Colleen. I have my **children**. And I'm happy with that."

"You know, Sami…" Hope started cautiously. "Children are a wonderful thing…but, you can't curl up with them on a cold, winter night."

Sami closed her eyes. She knew exactly what her aunt was getting at. She didn't **need **a man in her life. But, yes, it would be nice to have someone there. Someone to lean on, rely on. She opened her eyes again and said quietly, "I can't have that."

"Why not?" Hope persisted.

"Because I'm not worth it," Sami stated, putting down the empty applesauce jar. "EJ was the only man who made me feel worthy. He understood me, Aunt Hope, like no one else ever did or ever will. And now he's gone and I won't find another man like that as long as I live."

"Do you really believe he's left forever?" Hope asked.

Sami shrugged thoughtfully. "I like to think not." She gave a rueful smile and sighed. "Sometimes…I wonder to myself what would happen if he came back to Salem. What I'd say if he saw me. If I'd even say anything at all…I mean, he broke my heart! But, you know what I wonder most? What **he **would say to **me**."

Not having an answer to this, Hope sat quietly for a few seconds. Then, "He'll be back."

She sounded so confident that Sami lifted her gaze to her aunt's. "How can you be so sure?"

"Have you ever heard the expression "Once in a lifetime, you meet a person who takes your breath away. Not because you want them to, but, because they're meant to"?"

"Of course, I have," Sami answered, smiling slightly. "I mean…I keep telling myself he's not coming back, but, I just can't make myself believe it. No matter how many times I tell myself that, I still miss him and I still think about him. I'm so **sick** of it! It's like…I feel as if I should be moving on, but, I **can't**. And then, to try and make it easier I tell myself it's better off this way. But, then I start thinking of everything we've been through together. I think about him **every day**, Aunt Hope."

"Honey, maybe you're not meant to be over him. I mean, look at how many times you've tried! Maybe it's not working for a reason." Hope gave Sami a meaningful look.

Sami sighed again and rolled her eyes. "I know, I know. Fate. Destiny. Blah blah blah. If we were destined to be together, if me and EJ were **fated** to be together, why isn't he here now, then?"

Bo came rushing up to their table just then. "Hey," he greeted them.

"Hey, Brady. What's up?" Hope asked.

"Big news," Bo raised his eyebrows. "**Big, **big news."

"Well, come on, then!" Sami exclaimed. "Don't leave us in suspense!"

Looking back and forth between the two women, Bo finally came out with it.

"Stefano DiMera…" he began slowly. "Died in his sleep late last night."

"Get out!" Hope cried.

"Are you serious?" Sami asked, heart beating wildly.

"**Dead **serious," Bo replied, chuckling at the irony of his words. "Tony found out after it happened. He didn't get around to calling the rest of us 'til a little while ago."

"Ok, we're sure that he's **really **dead, though, right?" Hope pressed. "This isn't some sick DiMera joke?"

"Doctors at the hospital confirmed it," Bo replied.

Sami and Hope looked at each other, each wondering the same thing.

Outside the pub, Tony was saying to someone in a black leather jacket, "Oh, come on. You can't avoid this place just because she **might **be in there. You're being a stubborn fool, do you know that? Look, here's some advice: Sometimes…it takes being away from someone for a while, to make you realize how much you truly need them in your life."

EJ gave him a withering glance. "She **lied** to me, Tony. It's like I wasn't even worth the truth."

"But," Tony replied. "**She's **worth it. To **you**. And you know that. So, don't act like she means nothing to you anymore. She's one-of-a-kind, Sami Brady. You'll never find another woman like her. Now, let's go. I need to speak with Bo."

Back inside, Sami was trying to feed Colleen but the baby girl didn't want to know from it. She started to cry and flail her arms, causing the food to splatter across Sami's shirt.

"Great," Sami muttered. "Could you guys watch them for a few seconds while I go clean this up?"

Bo and Hope agreed and Sami went off to the bathroom.

A split-second after, Tony and EJ walked into the pub.

Hope's heart just about stopped at the sight and Bo jumped up, exclaiming, "Hey, Elvis! Great to see you, man!" Just then, he realized why EJ was back in Salem. "Oh, um…sorry about your old man."

EJ just barely held back a sarcastic laugh. "Thank you, but…no loss, you know?"

"Agreed."

"EJ's just in town to see Stefano one last time before he's buried," Tony informed them. "We're not having a funeral. It's not like anyone's expected to show up…unless, you want to dance on the grave?" Tony gave an evil grin.

Bo laughed. "I'll pop the champagne!" He went off to make a call to Roman.

"Um…EJ?" Hope interrupted the joking. "I think…I think someone wants you."

It was then that EJ realized Hope was sitting with the twins. Samantha's twins. Colleen was standing up in Hope's arms, whimpering, looking towards EJ.

Wondering where Sami was, but not wanting to ask at the same time, he took Colleen from Hope. As had happened the last time, the baby immediately seemed much happier. Tony looked on, curious, as Colleen happily played with the black leather lapel on the jacket EJ had on. Tony glanced towards Hope, the only other one who knew, besides him, what had happened between EJ and Sami. She raised her eyebrows in return.

At that moment, Sami returned from cleaning the baby food off her shirt. She stopped short at the sight of EJ. EJ holding her baby girl.

Sensing her presence in the room, EJ turned to look at her. Everything he felt for her came rushing on, hitting him at once. The anger, the admiration, the hurt, the love.

It was the first time they'd seen each other since that fateful evening a month ago. The first time they'd had any contact with each other. And neither could find words to speak.

Desperate to break the tense silence, Hope spoke up. "Uh…there won't be any funeral for Stefano," she addressed Sami.

Sami barely nodded in return, never taking her eyes off of EJ. He was here. He had returned to Salem. It was completely against her wildest dreams, while at the time, being the **subject** of her wildest dreams. It was unbelievable, yet here he was. Right in front of her. Wearing a black leather jacket that made her want to melt. Holding her daughter, no less.

And she couldn't even find the voice to speak. To tell him how much she missed him. How sorry she was for screwing it all up. How much she loved him.

Snapping out of the trance he was in since Sami had walked into the room, EJ spoke. "Well," he started, handing Colleen back to Hope. He turned to address Tony. "We should probably get going. I have a plane to catch."

And he turned away and walked out of the pub. Without another glance. Without another word. After a slight hesitation and a glance towards Sami, Tony followed.

He was going back to England without even speaking to her.

After they had left, a shocked silence ensued.

"Aunt Hope…" Sami whispered, her voice breaking, still staring at the door.

"Go after him," Hope stated firmly. "If you really love him, Sami, and you want him back, go after him. I'll watch the twins."

Sami hesitated until Hope snapped, "GO!"

And Sami went.


	14. Hurt

**Song is "Hurt" by Christina Aguilera.**

Sami arrived at the Salem airport, praying EJ hadn't gotten on a plane yet. It had taken longer to get there than expected. There was heavy traffic all along the roads due to the storm that rolled in. The skies had turned black and the rain was coming down in sheets. It was almost impossible to see the cars in front of her.

She would absolutely fall apart if he really had left already. How could he have just walked away like that? How could he turn his back on her after everything? Did he really and truly **still **believe that Sami had went behind his back to be with Lucas?

As she walked into the airport, Sami thought to herself again that it was **her **fault. She loved him, yet drove him away. Unintentionally, but still. Despite Kate interfering, Sami knew that if she had told EJ the truth to begin with he never would have believed the lies Kate sent to him.

She felt so stupid. She should have known then that Kate was still around. She should have known Kate would be up to something. How could Sami have trusted her to keep her mouth shut?

_Seems like it was yesterday when I saw your face.  
You told me how proud you were, but I walked away.  
If only I knew what I know today._

Making her way to the information desk, Sami berated herself for letting him go so easily. She should have fought harder to make him listen. She should have grabbed him and never let go.

He had been there for so much. He had saved her life numerous times. He had redeemed himself after causing so much hurt. And yet look what she'd done to him. She couldn't even give him the simple truth when he deserved it.

Sami would give everything, anything, to be able to get through to him. She could have called him any time within the past month, but, like she'd told Hope, she was afraid. She was afraid he'd see it was her and not pick up.__

I would hold you in my arms.  
I would take the pain away.  
Thank you for all you've done.  
Forgive all your mistakes.  
There's nothing I wouldn't do  
To hear your voice again.  
Sometimes I wanna call you,  
But, I know you won't be there.

"Excuse me, could tell me when the next flight out to England leaves?" she asked the man behind the desk.

"Yes, ma'am. That will be in 15 minutes." He gave her the directions to the gate. Sami thanked him and hurried off.

She assumed that maybe because she **hadn't **called, it made things worse. Maybe EJ was expecting her to call and when she didn't, he felt she just didn't care anymore.

Oh, how wrong he was.

He had no idea of the pain Sami was in because of how she knew she'd made him feel.__

Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you  
For everything I just couldn't do.  
And I've hurt myself by hurting you.

Fifteen minutes. That wasn't a lot of time. What if it was too late? What if he was already on board the plane?

A dead feeling began to creep inside Sami as she rode up one of the many escalators. It was a feeling not unlike the one she'd been feeling since EJ left. An empty, hollow feeling all throughout her body.

Her family had noticed she'd seemed quieter and more distracted recently. Of course, they were concerned and asked if she was all right. She'd told them she was fine. She gave them the same excuse she'd given her mother the morning after EJ walked out on her: the twins were keeping her up at night.

In fact, some days Sami didn't even feel like venturing out of her apartment. She didn't want to deal with facing life alone. She didn't want to deal with more questions from her family. She wanted be by herself and wallow in her own misery.__

Some days I feel broke inside, but, I won't admit.  
Sometimes I just wanna hide 'cause it's you I miss.  
And it's so hard to say goodbye  
When it comes to this.

As she hurried along the moving walkways toward the departure lounge for England, Sami found herself wondering what, exactly, she would say to him – if he was still there, that is. And, granted that he even paid mind to her and didn't turn his back again.

What if he did speak to her? What would he say? Tell her, yet again, that she'd ruined it all? Or would he talk through it with her? At this point, Sami would take anything as long as he was speaking to her.

A feeling of panic rose inside her chest at the thought of losing him all over again. He had been so close, yet so far. It was like a reality just beyond her grasp.

Sami distracted herself by thinking of what would happen if – no, **when** – she found him. She refused to believe he had gotten on that plane already.__

Would you tell me I was wrong?  
Would you help me understand?  
Are you looking down upon me?  
Are you proud of who I am?

Ten minutes until the plane started getting ready for take-off. The panic began to rise ever higher, ever faster.

She begged and pleaded with God inside her head to let EJ still be in the departure lounge. She needed to get through to him.

When they had locked eyes inside the Brady Pub, Sami felt her whole life inside that one long glance. It had meant **everything**. Surely, EJ had felt that, too?__

There's nothing I wouldn't do  
To have just one more chance,  
To look into your eyes  
And see you looking back.

Oh, I'm sorry for blaming you  
For everything I just couldn't do.  
And I've hurt myself…

Finally, she rounded the last corner and found herself in the entranceway to the crowded departure lounge for England.

All she needed was to find EJ. To find him and speak to him…beg him, plead with him to listen to her. To make him know that she had missed him terribly.

Sami knew she was taking a huge risk by coming here. She knew that it might not have even been worth it. What if EJ really and truly did not want to see her again?

_Oh, if I had just one more day,  
I would tell you how much that I've missed you  
Since you've been away.  
Oh, it's dangerous,  
It's so out of line  
To try and turn back time…_

A miracle occurred. God had answered Sami's prayers yet again.

"Attention, all passengers," a voice blared over the loudspeakers. "Due to the increasing conditions of the storm outside, all flights have been postponed indefinitely. We're sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience."

A collective groan escaped all throughout the entire airport. Meanwhile, a sigh of immense relief escaped from Sami.

There was time. Time to find EJ and make him listen.

And suddenly, there he was. Standing by one of the gigantic windows, his back slightly to her, looking out at the powerful storm. His forehead was leaning against the glass, his shoulders sagged. He looked…tortured. And Sami wanted to fix that.

Taking a steadying breath, she went over and stood almost directly behind him. It didn't take long for him to see her reflection in the glass. Quickly, he turned around, hoping against hope that he wasn't hallucinating.

"EJ?"__

I'm sorry for blaming you  
For everything I just couldn't do.  
And I've hurt myself…by hurting you.


	15. Sorry

I just have to add that I really love this song. It's so sad and beautiful and it really tugs at the heartstrings if listening to it at the right moment.

**Song is "Sorry" by Buckcherry.**

There they stood. Staring at each other in the silence that followed after Sami uttered his name.

He hadn't answered her. **Couldn't **answer her. He still could not wrap his brain around the fact that Samantha had followed him here. **She **was chasing **him**.

EJ knew that he never should have walked out of the Brady pub. He should have said something. But, he had been in shock. He hadn't known she was there at first. And then after he snapped out of it, he couldn't think of a single thing to say. So he left.

Right now, though, a million thoughts of what to say were running through his head. The only problem was, he couldn't get them into a coherent sentence.

Sami was staring up at him, waiting for him to say something. Anything. She wasn't used to this silent EJ. Feeling the tension build in the silence, Sami decided to just come out with it. She needed to let it all out, make him hear what she had to say.

"EJ, please don't leave here," she begged. "Not without me explaining to you what happened. Those pictures you got from Kate – they weren't what they were intended to be! I wasn't, wasn't…having some sort of a…a secret rendezvous with Lucas!" As she spoke, Sami's voice started to sound hysterical and a tad bit angry. "I was asking him for a **divorce**, EJ! A divorce! Do you know why? Because I loved you! **Still **love you!"

Tears started to come to Sami's eyes. His expression hadn't changed; just the same blank look from when he'd turned around to face her. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she went on. "Kate took those pictures to try and ruin my life again! She knew I'd lied to you about where I was! And I'm sorry, EJ! And if you **ever **really loved me, you'd try and understand!" She choked back a sob.

"You once told me that true love understands and true love forgives. Well, try and understand that I only lied because I thought it was the right thing to do at the time! I knew you would want to come with me to see Lucas, but, that was something I needed to do on my own. I **was **going to tell you, but, Kate got to you before I did."

Realizing she was losing control bit by bit, Sami tried to reel herself back in. But, she needed to get one last thing out before she did. "You once told me that I deserved to be someone's first choice. That I deserve someone who loves me the way I am! And you said that that man wasn't Austin. Well, that man isn't Lucas, either! It's **you**, EJ! Don't you see? I never – "

"Samantha," he cut in. The whole time he was staring at her, absorbing what she was saying while simultaneously getting his thoughts into a pattern that made sense. He held up a hand to stop her from going any further. "Stop. Let me talk, please."

_Oh, I had a lot to say.  
Was thinking on my time away.  
I missed you and things weren't the same.  
'Cause everything inside, it never comes out right  
And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die._

Lapsing back into silence while collecting his thoughts, EJ then spoke again. "Samantha…While I've been away from Salem, I've thought a lot about what happened. I thought a lot about you. And I realized that…even though you hurt me…I missed you. Missed you so much, sweetheart." He reached out to wipe the tears that were now falling from her eyes.

"Please don't cry, darling," he continued. "I can't stand to see you like that…I should have said something in the pub. I never should have walked out on you. But, I couldn't think of anything to say. I guess it was the shock of seeing you again after so long."

Still not completely sure if he was saying she was forgiven yet, Sami murmured back, "I couldn't, either."__

I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry you're blue,  
I'm sorry about all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back.  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds  
And, baby, the way you make my world go 'round  
And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. 

"You didn't have to," he shook his head at her, his thumb still caressing her cheek. "It was **my **fault, Samantha."

"No –" Sami started, but he cut her off again.

"Yes. Yes, it was. I should have listened to what you had to say that night in my apartment. Samantha, I didn't think. I got those pictures and…I lost my head. I **knew **that they had come from Kate and if I had been thinking properly, I would have realized them for what they were – complete B.S."

"EJ, I still shouldn't have lied to you," Sami cried. "If I hadn't lied, you would have **known** that those pictures weren't what they looked like!"

"Yes, well…what's done is done. There's no use trying to figure out whose fault it was. We were **both **wrong, ok?"

Sami nodded, starting to let the hope back into her heart.__

This time, I think I'm to blame.  
It's harder to get through the days.  
We get older and blame turns to shame.  
'Cause everything inside, it never comes out right  
And when I see you cry it makes me wanna die.

They stood, staring at each other, not knowing what else to say. There was more that EJ wanted to get out, but, right now…he was lost. Lost in her eyes, her face, her complete being.

She had been wrong to lie him. But, he had been wrong in reacting that fast. He wanted her back. He knew he couldn't live without her any longer.

Breaking the silence, he said, "I'm sorry, darling, for everything. For acting the way I did, for hurting you, for what I said to you. I'm sorry I didn't believe that you really did love me." As he was talking, EJ had put his arms around Sami and pulled her close to him, never wanting to let her go.

"Samantha, I love you. Nothing's ever going to change that."

In response to that, Sami asked him, "So, does this mean you're not going back to England? I mean…it's not too late, is it?"__

I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry you're blue,  
I'm sorry about all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back.  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds  
And, baby, the way you make my world go 'round  
And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. 

Letting out an amused laugh and letting her out of his embrace, he answered, "After everything we've gone through? Samantha, I haven't slept since I've left you. And I imagine you haven't, either. Am I right?"

Smiling a watery smile back up at him, Sami replied, "Right."

"Then I'm definitely not going back to England. We can go back to normal, so to speak, can't we?"

She nodded in answer, losing the ability the speak. The way he was looking at her right now – like she was the most important thing on Earth, like she **mattered** – was overwhelming. She had missed that look. She could read everything he felt for her in those eyes.__

Every single day I think about how we came all this way.  
The sleepless nights and the tears you cried.  
It's never too late to make it right.  
Oh, yeah – sorry.

Not being able to stand the separation any longer, she flung her arms around his neck, crushing herself against him, and kissed him with a passion larger than anything they'd shared before. It was perfect. All the tears, all the loneliness, all the anxiety that each of them had felt in the past month, came out in that one kiss.

Neither wanted it to end, but, eventually they both had to breathe. The sudden parting made Sami dizzy. EJ held her against him, to keep her upright.__

I'm sorry I'm bad, I'm sorry you're blue,  
I'm sorry about all the things I said to you  
And I know I can't take it back.  
I love how you kiss, I love all your sounds  
And, baby, the way you make my world go 'round  
And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry. 

"So…does this I'm forgiven?" he asked teasingly.

"Yes," she replied. "But, only if it means I'm forgiven, too."

"Of course you are, darling. Ah, but, one more thing." He pulled her back as she started to lead him away from the gate. She turned to look back at him inquiringly.

"Tell me you love me."

And she did.

_  
I'm sorry, baby.  
I'm sorry, baby.  
Yeah, I'm sorry._


	16. Just the Way You Are

**Song is "Just the Way You Are" by Billy Joel.**

It was almost two weeks since EJ had come back to Salem; come back to Sami. He couldn't believe that he had ever left. He didn't know how he had survived for a month without seeing her, hearing her, kissing her every day. Now that he was back in Salem, he could do all that.

In these past two weeks, two things happened: The first was that Sami and Lucas' divorce was almost officially over. They were practically done sorting everything out. They were just waiting for the final documents.

The second thing was that Sami had taken Colleen to get that DNA test done. At first, she was still unsure of the idea. But she knew Colleen wouldn't be harmed by it and whatever the result, Sami would be fine by it. If she turned out to be Lucas' daughter all along, then fine. That's what they always believed. But, if she turned out to be EJ's…well, Sami didn't want to get her hope's up.

At this moment, they were sitting in Sami's apartment. Neither of them felt it would be a good idea to go out in public together yet. At least, not until the divorce was officially over. It wouldn't be fair to Lucas and they also didn't want to run the risk of running into Marlena.

Who was the topic of conversation, presently.

Sami kept glancing toward the phone, wondering if she should be the one to break the ice between her and her mother. As angry as she was with Marlena, Sami couldn't help feeling a small sense of loss. She was her **mother**, for God's sake! It hurt that after finally being accepted, she was being pushed away yet again.

"Samantha, you've been staring at that phone all day. Are you going to call her or not?" EJ asked.

Sami sighed and looked at him. He had been so supportive in everything that was going on lately. He was the one who had suggested calling Marlena in the first place.

"I can't do it," she replied with a tone of defeat. "I can't handle her attitude towards me. She doesn't understand me, EJ. She **still **wants me to be the perfect daughter, like Carrie, even after all this."

"You **are **perfect," he told her.

"You're the only one who thinks so," she said wryly. "I mean, I've accepted the fact that I am not perfect, that I've got an, an evil streak in me. And I'm **not **going to try and change that. But, it still doesn't keep me from feeling like I **should**. For my mother. And even for you, EJ."

_Don't go changing to try and please me.  
You never let me down before.  
Don't imagine you're too familiar  
And I don't see you anymore._

"Sweetheart, I've told you – " he began.

"I know," she interrupted. "I know you don't want me to change myself, but, I feel like…I don't know. I could be better. I can't believe that you've stuck by me these past couple of years."

Even though Sami knew that she had been forgiven, she still felt a little bit of remorse inside. Every time she voiced her thoughts on that, EJ brushed it away. He assured her that it was behind them and he understood why she'd done what she'd done.

_I would not leave you in times of trouble.  
We never could have come this far.  
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times,  
I'll take you just the way you are._

"Samantha, I've told you time and time again that I will **never **leave you for good. If I had really believed that you were just an evil woman with an agenda, we would not be where we are today."

"Yea, well, most of the time I **do **have an agenda."

"That makes no difference to me, darling. You have your reasons for that and I know that. To me, you're perfect."

_I don't want clever conversation.  
I never want to work that hard.  
I just want someone that I can talk to.  
I want you just the way you are._

Sami had no response for him. She knew that he thought she was perfect, even with all her flaws. Right now, though, she couldn't stop thinking of what her mother thought of her. And Marlena didn't even know that she was with EJ!

He knew exactly what she was thinking about. "Stop thinking of her. Stop thinking of telling her about me, about us. It's not doing you any good, Samantha."

Suddenly, she felt like her head was spinning. "I just had a feeling of déjà vu," she said.

"Why is that?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, thinking. "I guess because we've done this so many times before."

"Done what?"

"This! Sitting here, you listening to me complain about life and sorting everything out."

"It's nice to know some things with never change, isn't it?" he asked.__

I need to know that you will always be  
The same old someone that I knew.  
What will it take till you believe in me  
The way that I believe in you?

"Yeah," she smiled.

EJ leaned toward her and took her hand. "You haven't changed at all, either," he told her. "I know that the strong, confident Samantha I know is still in there waiting to stand up to Marlena."

"She's afraid to come out, though," Sami replied.

"She shouldn't be. You have to believe me, Samantha. A part of you is laying dormant inside, waiting to burst. You need to let it out. You can't keep it all inside any longer."

"Soon," she promised. "Soon."__

I said I love you and that's forever  
And this I promise from the heart.  
I couldn't love you any better.  
I love you just the way you are.

"Either way, I love you," EJ told her. "Good, bad, scheming, whatever – I'll love you."

"You're gonna make me cry," she said.

"Only happy tears," he proclaimed, moving in to kiss her.

"Of course," she answered, surrendering to his kiss. And all thoughts of Marlena flew from her mind. For now.


	17. Save me From Myself

**Song is "Save me From Myself" by Christina Aguilera.**

"I am hanging up this phone!"

Sami sighed heavily. "Mom, please. Don't do this!"

"Sami, I have nothing more to say to you," Marlena replied in an icy voice. "You've disappointed me, yet again."

"How have I disappointed you?!" Sami cried out. "I didn't do anything **to **you!"

"This conversation is over." With that, Marlena hung up the phone.

Slowly, Sami put the receiver back down. She could not believe what just happened. She took EJ's advice and called Marlena. She tried to explain to her mother, yet again, why she was doing what she was doing. She hadn't even mentioned EJ's name before Marlena wanted to terminate the conversation.

"I take it that it didn't go so well," EJ said from the other side of the apartment.

"**You **told me to call her," Sami retorted.

"I thought it would be the right thing to do," he defended himself. "How was I to know she would continue to act like that?"

"**I **knew she would. But, against my better judgment, I listened to you."

"Samantha, please. Listening to me could **never **be against your better judgment."

_It's not so easy, loving me.  
It gets so complicated,  
All the things you gotta be.  
Everything's changing,  
But, you're the truth.  
I'm amazed by all your patience,  
Everything I put you through._

Sami sighed again. "How do you do it?" she asked.

"Do what?"

"Put up with me," she clarified. "It can't be easy."

"No, it's not," he agreed with a smile.

"Seriously, EJ. You have the patience of a saint to put up with my crp."

"Only because I love you."__

And when I'm about to fall,  
Somehow you're always waiting with  
Your open arms to catch me.  
You're gonna save me from myself,  
From myself.  
You're gonna save me from myself.

Sami still looked so upset by what had just happened with Marlena, EJ felt his heart break for her. He hated to see her like that. It wasn't fair, the way Marlena was treating her. He almost felt guilty about it, since it would just get worse when she found out Sami was with him now.

"Come here," he said to her, holding out his arms.

Sami went to him, burying her face against his chest, his arms coming around her.

"You know," she murmured. "If it wasn't for you, I probably would have cut myself off from the world already."

"It's not just me," he replied. "Hope supports you and so does the rest of your family now. They told you so."

"I know, but you mean the most. I mean, Austin and Lucas and Brandon were there for me through some rough spots, but…they can't compare to you, EJ. I've driven you insane, but you're still here for me."

"Samantha, I'll always be here for you. I've told you that."

"I know. Listen," she said, pulling away from him and the seriousness of the conversation. "I'm gonna go down and get my mail. I'll be right back."__

My love is tainted by your touch.  
Well, some guys have shown me aces,  
But, you've got that royal flush.  
I know it's crazy everyday.  
Well, tomorrow may be shaky,  
But, you never turn away.

Sami came back a few minutes later with the mail in her hands. There were tear-stains on her cheeks and more were pooling up in her blue eyes.

"Samantha…" EJ started.

Without waiting for him to ask what was wrong, she held out an opened envelope to him. He took it from her and read what was inside.

"Sweetheart, I don't understand," he said when he finished reading the paper. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm not sure," Sami half-laughed, wiping a stray tear from her cheek. "I think it's a mixture of sad and happy tears."

"What do you mean?"

_Don't ask me why I'm crying  
'Cause when I start to crumble,  
You know how to keep me smiling.  
You always save me from myself,_

_From myself, myself.  
You're gonna save me from myself._

Sami laughed again. "I'm happy because it's finally over. Lucas and I are no longer married! But, it is a little sad in a way. I was with him for so long. Is that wrong of me?"

"No, darling. It's not wrong. But, I do have to ask – which do you feel more?"

"Oh, happiness, of course!" she exclaimed. "It's a relief."

Sami went to sit down on the couch to open her other mail. She saw the divorce papers and immediately opened it to find out if it really was truly over. She hadn't looked through the rest of her mail yet.

There was a letter from the hospital among the junk mail and magazines. Knowing what it was, Sami's fingers started shaking a little as she opened it.__

I know it's hard, it's hard.  
But, you've broken all my walls.  
You've been my strength, so strong.

"What's that?" EJ asked, noticing that Sami looked a little apprehensive before she read the paper inside.

"It's the results from Colleen's test," she replied quietly.

His eyebrows raised slightly, waiting for her to tell him what the final verdict was.

Sami's eyes scanned over the paper in her hand. She read it four times to make sure she was really seeing what she thought she was seeing.

She looked up at EJ. "I love you," she stated.

"Samantha?" he asked gently, not understanding what from the hospital paper could have made her say that._  
_

_And don't ask me why I love you.  
It's obvious your tenderness  
Is what I need to make me  
A better woman to myself,  
To myself, myself.  
You're gonna save me from myself._

Sami stared back at him silently. EJ's heart slowly began to sink. For Sami to look at him with that blank expression, for her to assure him that she loved him, it couldn't be in his favor, he thought.

Suddenly, Sami jumped up and threw herself into his arms. She was crying again. But, this time they were tears of complete and total happiness.

"She's your's, EJ," Sami whispered.


	18. Here to Stay

As always, big thanks to Candy, Paige, and Redhead!

**Song is "Here to Stay" by Christina Aguilera.**

The next day Marlena, Hope, and Belle were sitting in the Brady pub. Sami stood outside with EJ and the twins.

"You're sure about this?" EJ asked.

_Well, everybody got an opinion now, don't they?  
But, it ain't no thing to me.  
It really don't make any difference now to me  
If you don't like what you see.  
I pay no mind to the negative kind  
'Cause that's just no way to be.  
I don't stop to please someone else's needs.  
Gonna live my life for me._

"Yes, I'm sure," Sami said. "We're going in there and I really don't care what anyone has to say. I'm not gonna let it bother me. They can't tell me how to run my life. Only **I **can do that."

EJ nodded silently, slightly taken aback by the attitude Sami was asserting. He loved it, of course. It was just that it was something he hadn't seen from her in a long time. He was proud of her, though.

"This is me," Sami said. "And she can take it or leave it." She stared in through the window at her mother.

Before EJ could say or do anything, Sami had flung open the door to the pub and was marching inside with a look on her face that threatened murder. Hiding a smile, EJ followed behind her.__

I'm gonna keep on, I'ma do my own thing.  
We all got a song that we're meant to sing  
and no matter what people say or might think,  
I ain't goin' no place, no, I'm here to stay.  
Gonna keep on doing my thing  
'Cause whether they love or they hating on me,  
I'll still be the same girl I used to be.  
'Cause I ain't going no place, no, I'm here to stay.

Sami stopped in front of their table. Belle and Hope looked up at her and immediately glanced towards Marlena. Hope, obviously, knew what was about to go down. Belle looked at Hope, who glanced at EJ. Belle's eyes widened, grasping what was going on.

"What is this?" Marlena asked sharply.

"What does it look like?" Sami asked in reply.

"Oh, God," Marlena said. "It just goes from bad to worse, doesn't it? Not only does this put shame on Lucas, but now he's holding your **daughter**?"

"**His **daughter," Sami said. Handing Tom over to Belle, she pulled two sheets of paper out of her bag and shoved them in front of Marlena's face.

_I've never been the type to be shy.  
I know that some would say I'm too headstrong.  
But, I'd rather be a woman who voices her mind  
Whether you think I'm right or wrong._

Marlena read over the divorce paper, the muscles in her face tightening. Hope and Belle sat there, almost afraid to move. She put the paper aside and picked up the next one with the results of Colleen's test. The blood drained from her face. In the next instant it all came rushing back and then some.

"And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," Marlena said quietly. She glared up at EJ. He gave her the same look back, holding on tight to his daughter.

Looking back at Sami, Marlena said, "Sami, I don't know who you think you are – "

"I don't **think **I'm anybody," Sami said. "I **know **who I am. And that certainly isn't your perfect little girl. Tell me your disappointed in me; that I'm a terrible daughter. I don't care. You can't change me."

_And I know some people wanna criticize,  
Makes 'em feel better about themselves.  
So, say what you will, time will reveal  
In the end that I will be here still._

"I'm living my life how **I **want to from now on," she continued. "I don't care what you think and I don't care what you have to say. I'm doing what makes me happy."

Just then, Kate walked into the pub. She had the nerve to saunter over to where Sami was standing over Marlena. EJ looked at her warily as she passed.

"Why, hello," Kate drawled. "How is everyone today?"

Sami turned shocked eyes on her. "You btch."

Kate played innocent. "What?"

"Um…excuse us," Hope said. She and Belle got up from the table and moved a safe distance away. They didn't want to be in the middle of this.

EJ felt his phone vibrate. "I'll just, uh…take this outside," he said to no one in particular. He gave Colleen to Hope and walked outside.__

I'm gonna keep on, I'ma do my own thing.  
We all got a song that we're meant to sing  
and no matter what people say or might think,  
I ain't goin' no place, no, I'm here to stay.  
Gonna keep on doing my thing  
'Cause whether they love or they hating on me,  
I'll still be the same girl I used to be.  
'Cause I ain't going no place, no, I'm here to stay.

"You will do anything to ruin my life, won't you?" Sami asked.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Kate said.

"What happened?" Marlena asked.

Forgetting that she no longer cared to speak to her mother, Sami said, "She took pictures of me and Lucas discussing the divorce together and sent them to EJ on his phone so he'd think me and Lucas were still…in love with each other or something!"

Kate didn't answer. She couldn't deny it any longer. Marlena's eyes widened and for a second, Sami thought she'd jump to her defense. But Marlena's head snapped towards Sami.

"You've been with EJ since **before **the divorce?"

Outside the pub, EJ was still on the phone. He wasn't expecting this call. He didn't want to be having this conversation.

"Look, I cannot help you," he said.

"But isn't that what family's for…cousin?"

EJ closed his eyes, torn between what to do.

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

"Yes, Mom. I have," Sami said.

"I can't look at you anymore." Marlena got up from the table and sat down at the bar.

Sami turned to Kate. "Stay the he11 out of my life." She went over to Belle and Hope, took the twins from them, apologized for what just happened, and promised to explain everything soon.

Without another glance, Sami walked out of the pub.__

Gotta get up,  
Keep my head up.  
Gonna keep on turnin' it up,  
Never let up.  
If I keep steppin' it up,  
I'ma prove that I ain't never gonna be stopped,  
Like it or not.

EJ had just hung up the phone when Sami walked out. She looked ready to kill.

"How did it go in there?" he asked.

"Oh, just dandy," Sami said. "Who called you?"

"Just, uh, someone from Mythic. So, tell me. What did Kate have to say?"

"Nothing. I called her out on what she did to us and my mom freaked that I was with you before the divorce."

"Are you alright?"

"Yea, I'm fine. By my mother practically disowning me, it's helping me to become a stronger person. I don't care anymore. This is it for me. **You **are it for me, EJ."__

No matter the pressures that face me  
I believe they will see.  
I'll never let anyone break me.  
All your doubt can do now is strengthen me.  
And life it ain't always that easy,  
Gotta fight to see past the boundaries.  
Crossing the lines, I will define every time that forever is mine.


	19. You Had me From Hello

**Song is "You Had me From Hello" by Bon Jovi.**

_At the mirror you fix your hair and put your makeup on.  
You're insecure about what clothes to wear.  
I can't see nothing wrong._

EJ leaned against the doorframe to Sami's bedroom. They had plans to go to dinner. A kind of celebration of sorts. Tom and Colleen were with Bo and Hope.

Meanwhile, Sami was still in her robe, running back and forth from her closet to her mirror, holding a different outfit up to herself to see what it'd look like.

"Can I ask you something?" EJ asked.

Without turning around, Sami said, "What?"

"What are you doing?"

Sighing, she finally turned around to face him. "What does it look like I'm doing? I have no idea what to wear!"

"We have reservations in…" EJ checked his watch. "Fifteen minutes."__

To me you look so beautiful when you can't make up your mind.  
It's half past eight, it's getting late.  
It's OK, take your time.

"Dammit!" Sami said.

Spying something in her closet, EJ walked over to take the article out. He threw a bright green halter dress at her.

"Wear this," he said.

Sami smiled remembering the last time she'd worn this dress. It seemed so long ago, yet like yesterday at the same time. Her "tango" dress.

By the way she was looking up at him, EJ had a flashback of the first time he saw Samantha. He'd loved her upon first sight.__

Standing here, my hands in my pockets,  
Like I have a thousand times.  
Thinking back, it took one breath,  
One word to change my life.

He'd opened his door to her standing there. He was completely speechless at first. She was, too. From that moment on, he knew that he would never be able to live without her in his life.

"Ready?" she asked, breaking him out of his reverie.

"I was waiting for **you**."__

The first time I saw you it felt like coming home.  
If I never told you, I just want you to know,  
You had me from hello.

They walked into the restaurant hand-in-hand. On the way to their table, they passed Belle and Shawn who had just sat down. Sami remembered that she still hadn't told Belle what was going on recently.

"Sami," Belle said. "Can we talk?"

"Tomorrow, I promise," Sami said.

Tonight was dedicated to her and EJ and their future together. To celebrate the fact that they could finally be together and that Colleen was his daughter after all. She wanted no interruptions.__

When we walk into a crowded room it's like we're all alone.  
Everybody tries to kidnap your attention.  
You just smile and steal the show.

Between the appetizer and dinner, the band in the restaurant started a new song. Of all songs to play, it was the very same tango that Sami and EJ had danced to almost two years ago. Ignoring Belle's attempts to talk to her yet again, Sami grabbed EJ's hand and pulled him onto the floor.

It was imprinted in their memory – each step, each turn. The dance had become a part of them. That night they had first danced brought them closer than ever before.

At one point when their bodies were close enough to speak to each other, Sami whispered to him, "I can't believe I remember how to do this."

"Of course you do, " EJ said with a smirk. "You never forget what you did the night you fell in love."

Sami gave him a look of shock before she realized he was right. She **did **fall in love with EJ that night. She hadn't realized it…or maybe she just didn't want to admit it. Sami knew that she always loved him, but she wasn't sure of exactly when it started. Now she knew.__

You come to me and take my hand.  
We start dancin' slow.  
You put your lips up to my ear and whisper way down low.

When the night was over, EJ and Shawn went to get their cars to pick Sami and Belle up at the entrance to the restaurant. Finally alone, Sami turned to Belle asked what she wanted to know.

"You're really with EJ now?" Belle asked.

"Yeah, I am," Sami said. She was almost afraid of what Belle would say to that before she told herself that she didn't care what anyone had to say.

However, Belle could tell from the look on Sami's face that she was never happier than she was now. She looked elated.

"I'm so happy for you," Belle said, hugging her half-sister. "Oh, and one more question. Is EJ really Colleen's father?"

If it was possible, the smile on Sami's face stretched even wider. She nodded emphatically.

"Yes, he really is."__

From the first time I saw you it felt like coming home.  
If I never told you, I just want you to know,  
You had me from hello.

After picking up Tom and Colleen, they arrived at the DiMera mansion. Stefano had left it to EJ in his will and once EJ returned to Salem, he had moved in there. Tony was living with Anna in another wing of the house. This weekend, Sami was staying there with the twins. The next night, they were going to have both the Brady's and who was left from EJ's family over for dinner.

They put the twins to bed and EJ pulled Sami into his room, down onto the bed. Words weren't needed. They melted into each other, each hoping that finally, after being interrupted every other time in the past, this would be it.__

And when you're laying down beside me,  
I feel your heartbeat to remind me...

EJ held her close to him, kissing the side of her neck. He almost believed he was dreaming. Ever since Sami had written him that letter, ever since he had returned to Salem, he had been waiting for this. She had been, also.

Suddenly, there was loud bang from downstairs.

Sami sat bolt upright. "What was that?"

"I'm sure it was nothing, sweetheart," EJ assured her. "I'll go down and check."

"I'll come with you," she said.

"No," he said quickly. "Um, just…just stay here. I'll be right back."__

The first time I saw you it felt like coming home.  
If I never told you, I just want you to know,  
You had me from hello.

EJ hurried downstairs, knowing exactly what – or rather, who – had caused the noise. He went into the darkened kitchen to see a figure standing in the light from the open refrigerator.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" EJ said. "The deal was you stay on the other side of the house and don't come out from your room."

"What, no midnight snack?" the person asked.

Just outside the kitchen, Sami ran into Tony. He had heard the noise also and Sami couldn't stand waiting upstairs alone. He tried to detain her from going further, but Sami pulled away and hurried into the kitchen. Tony followed and bumped into her. She had stopped dead at what she saw.

"Why, hello, Samantha!" the figure exclaimed. "Long time, no see."

Sami felt sick. She barely managed to get the word out. "Andre?"__

From hello.


	20. Dinner, Interrupted

**There's no song to this chapter. Title is** _**Dinner, Interrupted**_

"Yes, Sami, you're correct," Andre said. "So nice to see you since my prison sentence."

Sami was so afraid she could barely move. She was too scared to take her eyes off of Andre. She didn't know why he was here or what he was up to.

"EJ…how did he get in?"

EJ didn't answer right away. After a few seconds of silence, Sami tore her eyes away from the evilly smiling face of Andre to look at EJ. Her heart jumped in despair at what she saw written on his face. He wasn't looking at her – couldn't look at her. But she could still see it.

Guilt. And sorrow. And shame. Sami's heart sank, realizing what was going on. Tony sighed and turned away, not wanting to watch the scene unfold.

"Oh, my God," she whispered. "You knew. How long? How long has he been here? And how?"

EJ looked up at her with pain in his eyes. He hadn't meant for this happen. He never wanted her to know about this.

"Samantha, I am so sorry. I should have told you. I just…wanted to protect you. No one was to know." EJ sighed and then continued. "He called when you were in the pub exchanging words with Kate and your mother. Somehow, he managed to escape from the jail when the guards released him for dinner and had their backs turned. He asked for refuge here and I, like an idiot, granted it to him."

"But why?" Sami cried. "Why didn't you just call my dad or my uncle Bo?"

"Oh, I don't know Sami," Andre cut in. "Why do **you **think he didn't?"

Sami stared at him in horror. She knew exactly why EJ didn't – couldn't – refuse him. It was too dangerous to tell Andre no. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"EJ, my son and our daughter are in this house. Are you completely out of your mind?"

"I know, I know. But, I've made a deal with him. He is not to venture to any other part of the mansion unless he wants to be thrown back in jail. Is that clear, Andre?"

"Quite," he said. "My apologies. Next time I crave a midnight snack, I'll be sure to ring the servants."

Sami stared at him for a moment or two, not sure if she could believe that he would obey EJ's bidding or not. She looked at EJ again.

"We are having our families here for dinner tomorrow night. How do you expect to do that?"

"Sweetheart, he is staying in his room like a good little boy," EJ said, glancing sharply at Andre who popped a grape into his mouth. "I promise, nothing will go wrong."

Choosing to believe him, Sami turned to go back upstairs while Tony and EJ escorted Andre back up to his room.

A few minutes later, EJ slid into bed beside Sami. All the magic of just a short while ago seemed to disappear from between them. Now, it was replaced by a sense of cold, dark skepticism.

Sami turned over to look at him. "You really believe he'll stay away from us?"

"I certainly hope so," he sighed. "I know he doesn't want to go back to jail and I really do believe the experience sobered him enough."

Sami lay quiet, thinking of how just on the other side of house, the man who tried to kill practically every member of her family resided. She snuggled closer to EJ, needing his warmth and protection.

If anything out of the ordinary happened the next night, however, Sami wasn't sure if she'd be able to forgive him.

The next day passed by uneventfully. They didn't hear a peep from Andre's end of the mansion, which they took as a good sign.

It was now early evening and their guests were starting to trickle in. Bo and Hope had arrived, as had Roman, Kayla, Steve, Belle and Shawn. Lexie and Abe had just pulled up. John was there by himself. He had tried to talk Marlena into coming but she adamantly refused. She stayed at home and offered to watch Ciara and Claire tonight. Even Lucas showed up with Will to show that there were no hard feelings between him and Sami and EJ.

Everyone was sitting around the large, ornately carved dining room table in the DiMera mansion. Tony sat at one end with Anna to his right. EJ sat at the other, with Sami to his right. He wanted to relax and enjoy this night. Samantha's family had accepted him into their world and he wanted to revel in that fact. However, he couldn't seem to keep that anxious feeling from creeping up on him. And he knew exactly why.

The servants were clearing everyone's dinner plates away. They were all taking a breather before dessert was served.

"And you were stumbling around like a drunken fool!" Bo exclaimed to Roman.

"Hey, could I help that? I barely even remember it," Roman said.

"Ah, brother, I'll **never** forget the time you told me that you 'back my got!'"

"I wish I would have seen this one," John put in.

"**I** did," Lucas said. "It was a little scary to be around him. I feared for my life!"

"Listen, just because I was a little drugged did not mean I was completely incompetent," Roman said.

Bo snorted in laughter. This, in turn, made everyone at the table crack up.

"Roman, I really am truly sorry for that," EJ said.

"Eh, forget it. You had your reasons. If you hadn't knocked me out, I would have arrested your ss and you never would have gotten down to the gym and kept my daughter alive. So really, I should **thank **you for that!"

This prompted a laugh from everyone again. Sami reached for EJ's hand and he turned to look at her and smile warmly.

"You know, I never thought we'd be able to look back on this and laugh," Steve said. "Now that Andre's been locked up, I guess we can."

None of them knew that Andre had escaped. He had been sent to an out-of-state penitentiary and news of his escape hadn't reached Salem. They were completely unaware of the fact that danger could very well be upon them again.

A look passed unnoticed among Tony, Anna, EJ, and Sami. They could only pray it would continue to be a peaceful evening.

"You know, I almost feel sorry for that bstrd," Roman said. "It was Stefano who programmed him that way. The guy could have led a fulfilling life."

"Oh, but I **do **lead a fulfilling life," a familiar voice said. Before anyone could turn around, a loud **boom!** was heard and Roman tipped over backwards in his chair, blood seeping out from the front of his left shoulder.

"Daddy!" Sami screamed, rushing over to him.

John leapt up from his seat directly in front of Andre and tackled him to the ground before he could fire another shot. Lucas and Shawn had to help hold him down. Bo unholstered his own gun and aimed it at Andre in case he tried to escape. Steve wrestled the gun out of Andre's hands while Abe placed a call to the Salem Police Department.

Hope was leaning over Roman, along with Sami, Belle, and Lexie. Kayla took the twins and brought them upstairs, away from all the commotion. Anna was screaming dramatically in the corner. Will was standing there, not sure of what to do with himself.

In the midst of all this chaos, EJ stood silently. He stared at Roman, bleeding profusely on the floor. At Sami, crying hysterically over him. At Andre, who even while being held in an iron grip by both John and Lucas, was laughing maniacally.

This was all his fault. He never should have agreed to harbor Andre in his house. So what if Andre threatened him or his family? Samantha's whole family was involved in the police force. He shouldn't have had to worry about that.

The ambulance arrived to take Roman to the hospital. The women piled in to go with him. Hope insisted that Sami stay at home, though, and keep calm. Going to the hospital would just stress her out even more, and besides, she had two babies to take care of.

Some members of the SPD arrived to help cart Andre off to jail again. The men went with them to make sure Andre didn't try any more tricks. Lucas brought Will back home.

The only ones left in the mansion were Sami and EJ. The only sound that could be heard was Sami sobbing, kneeling on the floor. EJ slowly made his way over to her on legs that felt like lead.

"Samantha, darling…" he started.

"Don't you touch me," Sami said, pulling away from his outstretched hands. "This is all your fault!"

She got up from the floor and ran away from him, up the stairs, and into EJ's room where she continued to cry alone.

EJ sighed heavily, rubbing his hands over his face. After a few minutes, he made his way upstairs to attempt calm her down.


	21. The Policy of Truth

**Song is "The Policy of Truth" by Depeche Mode.**

EJ walked into his room to find Sami curled up on the bed, still crying her eyes out. He knew she was angry with him. He deserved it, he supposed.

He knelt down on the floor, bringing his face level with hers. She knew he was there before he even opened his mouth speak.

"What do you want EJ?"

"I just want to make sure you're alright," he said, reaching out to take her hand.

_You had something to hide.  
Should have hidden it, shouldn't you?  
Now you're not satisfied  
With what you're being put through._

She jerked up into a sitting position, furiously wiping the tears off her face. She stared at him, as if she couldn't comprehend what he was saying.

"What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? **What's wrong?** Are you serious? EJ, I have no idea what to even **say **to you right now."

"Look, darling, I know you're upset…"

"Um, yeah, you could say that. My dad is lying in a hospital bed right now, bleeding to death, because of Andre. Because of **you**." She got up off the bed and turned away from him. "EJ, it's making it that much worse because I **know** that you willinglylet him into your house."

"It wasn't willing –"

"Yes, it was!" she cried, spinning around to face him. "You didn't **have **to give in to him, EJ. God, I just wish you would have lied to me and told me he, he broke into the house or something!"

EJ got up off the floor to stand in front of her. "You wanted me to lie to you."

"Some things are better off not knowing." She turned away from him again. It hurt her so much to look at him right now. She knew that she was upsetting him even more for acting like this, but she just couldn't help it. Her father was injured because of this.

_It's just time to pay the price  
For not listening to advice  
And deciding in your youth  
On the policy of truth._

Sami went and picked up the bag of clothes she'd brought with her to the mansion for this weekend. Without looking at EJ, she went out into the hall and headed to the room the twins were staying in.

"What are you doing?" he asked, following her down the hall.

"I have to go."

"Go?" Go **where**, Samantha?"

"I don't know. Belle's. Aunt Hope's. It doesn't matter. I can't stay here."

"You're leaving me? Samantha, you can't be serious. Look, I didn't mean for this to happen! You **know **that."

"I **do **know that. I just wish I didn't know that **you **knew Andre was staying here and that you let him. Because you let him stay, EJ, look what happened."__

Things could be so different now.  
It used to be so civilized.  
You will always wonder how  
It could have been if you'd only lied.

EJ leaned back against the doorjamb, watching as Sami started to pack up the twins' things. He couldn't believe this was happening. Yes, it was his fault but he hadn't meant for it to happen. If he honestly believed that Andre was going to go on another rampage, he never would have agreed to have everyone over.

He tried explaining this to Sami again but she wouldn't listen.

"It's too late, EJ. My dad's been shot and now he's in the hospital because of Andre yet again."

"But, you don't have to leave! What difference does it make whether you stay here or not?"

"The difference is that I won't have to look at you and know that **you're **the reason my dad's fighting for his life," she choked out. It was so painful for her to say that because she still loved EJ. Nothing could ever stop her from loving him, but she just needed to get away for a little while.__

It's too late to change events.  
It's time to face the consequence  
For delivering the proof  
In the policy of truth.

"EJ, you promised me that nothing would go wrong. You **promised**. And I believed you. I should have listened to myself and called my dad and Uncle Bo as soon as I saw Andre standing there."

EJ stood there silently, unsure of what to say. Nothing he said seemed to be making this situation any better. It just made himself feel worse. He was losing her again because of his own stupidity.

Sami was lifting Tom and Colleen out of their cribs. She was trying so hard not let the tears fall again. She wanted so badly to stay angry with EJ, but it was getting harder by the second. __

Never again  
Is what you swore  
The time before.  
Never again  
Is what you swore  
The time before.  


EJ watched as she put the twins in their carriers. He was on the verge of getting on his hands and knees and begging her to stay there, at the mansion, with him. He didn't know what else to do or say.

Sami turned to face him again. There was so much pain in her eyes and it was reflected back in his. She almost changed her mind about leaving the mansion tonight but just as quickly stood strong with her initial decision.

She took a deep breath. "I know you did what you thought you had to do, EJ. But if you ever pull something like that again, with **anyone**, things are going to be far worse. You're lucky if my uncle doesn't come and try to arrest you for harboring a fugitive in your house."

She walked to the door, holding the twins in their carriers in each of her hands. She stopped next to him before walking out the door.

"You should have just lied," she whispered painfully.

_  
Now you're standing there, tongue tied.  
You'd better learn your lesson well,  
Hide what you have to hide,  
And tell what you have to tell.  
You'll see your problems multiplied  
If you continually decide  
To faithfully pursue  
The policy of truth.  
_

She walked out of the room and down the hall. She wasn't sure where, exactly, she was going yet. She'd have to call Hope after she left the house.

Finally finding the ability to speak and move again, EJ bolted out of the room behind her.

"Samantha, wait!"

_  
Never again  
Is what you swore  
The time before…_


	22. The Reason

**Song is "The Reason" by Hoobastank.**

Sami stopped when she heard EJ call her name out. She knew that she should have kept going, but something about his voice always stopped her in her tracks. She couldn't leave after he spoke her name in that certain way. It was like she was tied to him by some invisible string.

They were standing in the dimly lit hallway. Although she'd stopped, Sami hadn't turned around to face him. EJ stood behind her, staring at her back, still not quite believing she was walking away from him. He had to try and fix this, however he knew how.

"Please, Samantha. Don't walk out on me."

Sami closed her eyes against the tears that were threatening to spill. "EJ, I have to go. I have to find out how my dad is."

EJ sighed. He'd always known Sami was quite stubborn when she had her mind set, but he was always able to work around that. This, however, was proving to be more difficult.

"Look," he said. "It's my fault. I know that. But darling, I'm not perfect. Just like **you **are not perfect. You willingly admit that, so why fault me?"

"Because, EJ," she said while spinning around to face him. "You **knew**!"

"I didn't mean for that to happen, though. How many times do I have to say it?"

Sami just closed her eyes and shook her head. She couldn't deal with this right now. She didn't **want** to deal with this. There were so many thoughts whirling around her head; so many feelings circling inside of her. She just wanted to end this conversation and go to her aunt's or sister's.

Without another word, Sami turned away and walked downstairs. She had just reached the dark and foreboding front hall of the DiMera mansion when EJ stopped her again.

_I'm not a perfect person.  
There's many things I wish I didn't do.  
But, I continue learning.  
I never meant to do those things to you  
And so, I have to say before I go,  
That I just want you to know:_

"You want to know why I didn't lie to you? Why I told you the truth about how Andre was in the house? It's because of you, Samantha. I'm not the same man I used to be, following my father's orders. I made a fresh start of my life. All because I love you, Samantha."

The tears were still threatening to spill out of Sami's eyes. Each word EJ spoke made it that much more difficult to keep them at bay. Sighing shakily, she laid the twins' carriers on the floor at her feet.

"EJ, don't do this."

"Don't do what? Try to keep you here with me, where you belong? Everything I just said to you is true."__

I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be,  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you.

Sami just continued to stand there, silently shaking her head, the tears slowly trailing down her cheeks. She couldn't look at him. He looked ready to fall apart.

"I'm sorry, Samantha. I'll never be able to tell you how sorry I am – for everything. Not just for this, but for everything I've ever done wrong to you in my life."

It was getting harder and harder for Sami not to walk out the front door. She wanted so badly to stay here with him and let him comfort her. But she kept reminding herself of the way Roman had fallen backwards, the blood seeping out through his shirt. And the reason why that had happened. She was so conflicted inside, she felt that she would burst. Her heart was breaking on the spot.

"EJ, I really have to go."

"No, you really don't. Stay here with me. Let me be here for you, like I always have been. Even when you professed to hate me, who did you come running to for comfort, darling? Think of that before you walk out that door."__

I'm sorry that I hurt you.  
It's something I must live with everyday.  
And all the pain I put you through,  
I wish that I could take it all away  
And be the one who catches all your tears.  
That's why I need you to hear…

"I always ran to you, EJ. I know that. But this is different now. I don't know why, but it just is. Please, just let me go."

"I can't let you go, Samantha. If you leave now, I swear I'll fall apart. **You're **the reason why I've become a decent human being. Can't you see that?"

"You were a decent human being way before I even considered divorcing Lucas. It has nothing to do with being with me, EJ."

"Yes, it does. Even when you were married to Lucas, I was still able to be around you every single day because of that dmn vendetta against your family. If you leave, then what? How do I get to see you then?"__

I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be,  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you.

Sami glanced away from him, fully understanding what he was saying. If she walked out on him, there was no reason she could think of that would lead to them seeing each other.

However, they were fated to be together. Sami knew that. She couldn't understand, though, why she was trying to fight that again. She fought it once and it was the biggest mistake of her life. So, why was she trying to fight it now?

She could feel a headache coming on. They weren't getting anywhere with this conversation. She needed to be alone and think.

"EJ, I'm sorry." She picked up the twins and again tried to continue towards the door. She got as far as opening it maybe two inches.__

I'm not a perfect person.  
I never meant to do those things to you  
And so, I have to say before I go,  
That I just want you to know:

EJ's hand appeared on the door, slamming it closed before she could take one step.

Slowly, she lifted her gaze to his. There were so many emotions flashing through his eyes that she couldn't read them all.

"Samantha, I turned my whole life around for you. To prove to you that I was worthy of your love. I went against my father's wishes, got disowned from him more times than I can count, almost died because of that, and you're honestly just going to walk out on me? Because of this, which was completely unintentional?"__

I've found a reason for me  
To change who I used to be,  
A reason to start over new  
and the reason is you.

Sami had no answer to that. He was right and she knew it. But she was too stubborn to stick around now. She wanted to get away.

"Fine," he said. He took his hand off the door and gestured for her to walk through it. "You want to go, go. I just can't understand how you won't stay here because of a legitimate accident on my part. But in the past, after I'd consciously lied to you, put harm to your family members, raped you –"

That caught Sami's attention. "You did **not **rape me. You know that."

He did know that. He hadn't meant to say it, either. He was just so buried under all kinds of sentiments, he couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of his mouth.

"You still stuck by me through all that," he said. "And I know that's because you loved me all along. So what went wrong now?"__

I've found a reason to show  
A side of me you didn't know,  
A reason for all that I do  
And the reason is you.


	23. Apologize

**Song is "Apologize" by Timbaland feat. OneRepublic.**

_I'm holding on your rope,  
Got me ten feet off the ground.  
And I'm hearing what you say,  
But, I just can't make a sound.  
You tell me that you need me,  
Then you go and cut me down.  
But, wait...  
You tell me that you're sorry,  
Didn't think I'd turn around and say…_

"So what went wrong now?" EJ had said.

It was well into nighttime by now. The sky was pitch black and the moon was shining in through the windows on either side of the front door.

Sami heard the question, but she couldn't answer it. The truth was, she knew that she was probably overreacting. She really did believe that EJ had no intention of hurting Roman, but it was still his fault, in a way, that it had happened.

Finally finding her voice, Sami said, "I just…don't understand…why, why would you let Andre into your house? Why couldn't you just tell me right away that he was back in Salem so we could stop him?"

"Samantha, I told you. I wanted to protect you. I truly didn't believe that anything like this would happen. Now I realize what a complete idiot I was to think that at all."

Sami didn't say anything. She felt literally torn in two.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry," EJ said. "I don't know what else to say."__

That it's too late to apologize, it's too late.  
I said, it's too late to apologize, it's too late.

The tiniest of sobs escaped from Sami's throat. "EJ, it's too late for that. My dad was shot. He's in the hospital at the hands of Andre again. "Sorry" isn't going to fix that."

EJ sighed in frustration. He couldn't believe how stubborn Samantha was being. Normally, he liked that side of her, but this was a little much, especially since it was being directed towards him. "What do you want from me, then?"

"I don't know," Sami said. She honestly did not know what she wanted from him. She knew nothing he could say or do would reverse what had happened to her father.

However, she also knew that she would never be able to leave EJ for good. Maybe she would be gone for a night or two, but she'd never be able to stay away longer than that. She'd risked everything she had to be with EJ and she would do it again in a heartbeat.__

I'd take another chance, take a fall, take a shot for you.  
And I need you like a heart needs a beat  
(But that's nothing new).

"What are we doing, Samantha?" EJ asked. "What has this come to? I love you, sweetheart. Are you trying to say that you don't feel that anymore?"

EJ had put on a brave face, but inside he could feel himself slowly dying. If Sami indeed retracted the fact that she was hopelessly, deeply in love with him…he didn't know what he'd do.

"I do still feel that way, EJ. I can't change that. I've **always **loved you, no matter what you said or did. So yes, I still love you. But it's just so hard…" She broke off, another sob making its way out of her trembling body. "EJ, I placed you on a pedestal above everyone else in my life. But now…"

Sami couldn't continue. She felt she would completely lose control and fall apart if she went on. She could see what her words were doing to EJ and she couldn't stand to hurt him any more.

_I loved you with a fire red, now it's turning blue.  
And you say,  
"Sorry" like the angel Heaven let me think was you.  
But, I'm afraid…_

EJ didn't say anything. He didn't know what to do anymore. He slowly sank to the floor, his back against the staircase. He put his head in his hands, giving up on the conversation. He didn't have the strength to continue.

He could tell her he was sorry a million times over and it wouldn't make a difference. As she had said, he knew it was too late for "I'm sorry's." The best thing he could do for her right now, would be to let her go. Let her go and get everything out of her system. When she was ready to come back to him, she would. He didn't know how long that would take, but he was willing to wait for her.__

It's too late to apologize, it's too late.  
I said, it's too late to apologize, it's too late.

It's too late to apologize, it's too late.  
I said, it's too late to apologize, it's too late.  
I said, it's too late to apologize.  
I said, it's too late to apologize.

Sami took one last glance at EJ, crumpled on the floor, before picking up the twins' carriers. She wanted to say something to him, but she didn't know what. So she opened the door and left the DiMera mansion.__

I'm holding on your rope,  
Got me ten feet off the ground...


	24. Just Once

**Song is "Just Once" by James Ingram.**

_I did my best,  
But, I guess my best wasn't good enough  
'Cause here we are back where we were before.  
Seems nothing ever changes,   
We're back to being strangers,  
Wondering if we oughta stay   
Or head on out the door. _

It had only been a half hour since Sami left the DiMera mansion, but, to EJ it felt like a lifetime. He hadn't moved from his position on the floor against the stairs. He just sat there, not moving, staring into space. He refused to let the reality of what had just happened overcome him.

EJ sighed heavily, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders. It certainly felt like it did. He couldn't even summon up the strength to get up off the floor.

He had tried his hardest to get Samantha to stay there with him. He hadn't know what else to do, aside from chaining her to the banister. That would have been in typical DiMera fashion, though, and EJ vowed he'd never return to those dark depths again.

He felt as if they were on some continuous merry-go-round, doomed to never stop. They would keep going in circles like this forever. It was the same thing over and over again. The two would finally realize they belonged together, only to have some new fiasco rip them apart.__

Just once, can't we figure out what we keep doing wrong?  
Why we never last for very long?  
What are we doing wrong?  
Just once, can't we find a way to finally make it right,  
Make the magic last for more than just one night?  
If we could just get to it,  
I know we could break through it. 

EJ ran his hands over his face, wondering just what the problem was. Why couldn't they just get through everything life threw at them before one of them wound up storming out? Why did this always happen?

He heard footsteps approaching. He looked up to see Tony standing above him.

Tony sighed and shook his head. He didn't even have to ask what happened. He knew. Even if he hadn't overheard most of Sami and EJ's conversation, he would have known.

He looked down at his younger brother. "I don't understand it, either."

EJ squeezed his eyes shut, trying so hard not to let the pain wash over him. "What am I doing wrong?"

"Get up off the floor, EJ," Tony said. When EJ didn't budge, he sank down to the floor in front of him. "What makes you think you did anything wrong? Why are you taking the blame?"__

I gave my all,  
But, I think my all may have been too much  
'Cause Lord knows we're not getting anywhere.  
Seems we're always blowing whatever we got going  
And seems at times with all we've got,  
We haven't got a prayer.  
Just once, can't we figure out what we keep doing wrong,  
Why the good times never last for very long?  
Seems we're always blowing  
Whatever we got going.

"Samantha is not to blame in this, either," EJ said.

"I didn't say she was. But, why do **you **feel obligated to shoulder it all?"

EJ sat silent for a moment. "Because it was my fault," he finally said. "I tried so hard to protect her but, obviously, I went too far. If only I had told her…"

"It's too late for 'if only', EJ."

EJ brushed off Tony's comment and shook his head. "It's always falling apart. If we were fated to be together, why does this keep happening? Why can't we stop it?"

"That, I can't answer. Maybe…maybe all this is just a test to see if you two really are strong enough survive the odds."__

Just once, can't we find a way to finally make it right,  
Make the magic last for more than just one night?  
I know we could break through it,  
If we could just get to it.

"Haven't we been through enough of a test? Look at the grueling exam life put us through before this. Wasn't that enough?"

"Apparently not," Tony said.

"I just don't understand it," EJ bit out. "I love her and she still loves me. She **told **me she still loves me. Tony, we can't live without each other. What am I supposed to do?"

"Go after her."

"I can't. She said she needed to get away and sort things out. I need to give her space."__

Just once, I want to understand  
Why it always comes back to good-bye.   
Why can't we get ourselves in hand  
And admit to one another   
That we're no good with out the other,  
Take the best and make it better,  
Find a way to stay together?

Suddenly, the sound of the doorbell ringing went off. It was almost one o'clock in the morning and the sound echoed in the silent, almost-empty house. Tony and EJ looked at each other in confusion.

The bell chimed a second time and Tony stood up to answer it. A look of surprise passed over his face when Bo stepped into the front hall.

This prompted EJ to finally get up off the floor. From the look on Bo's face, he knew something was wrong.

"How's Roman?" he asked.

Bo shook his head. "Not good. He lost a lot of blood. The doctors say the bullet is still stuck in there somewhere. They're just hoping it doesn't move before they can get it out."

"Bo, I am so sorry –" EJ began.

"Hey." Bo held up his hand. "This isn't your fault, EJ. I understand. Normally, we'd have to press charges for keeping an escaped convict in your house, but…these are abnormal circumstances."__

Just once, can't we find a way to finally make it right,  
Make the magic last for more than just one night?  
I know we can break through it,  
If we could just get to it.

EJ could tell there was something else Bo needed to say. Tearing his thoughts away from Sami, he asked Bo what else there was.

Bo hesitated a second. "I'm afraid I've got some bad news…"__

Just once.  
If we could get to it.

Just once...


	25. Still

**Song is "Still" by Lionel Richie (The Commodores).**

Tony's eyes widened at Bo's statement. "What do you mean, bad news?"

EJ felt the panic start to rise inside him. If anything had happened to Samantha or the twins, he'd never forgive himself.

Bo sighed heavily. "Andre escaped again."

A small sense of relief overcame EJ when he heard that. As long as nothing had happened to Sami, he could breathe easy.

"Escaped? How?" Tony asked.

"He knocked out the officer holding him and ran before any of us could grab him. He disappeared into the trees and we haven't found anything."

"Typical," Tony muttered under his breath.

Bo turned to EJ. "Where's Sami? I want to let her know what's going on with Roman."

_Lady, morning__'s just a moment away  
And I'm without you once again.  
You laughed at me.  
You said you never needed me.  
I wonder if you need me now._

"She's not here. She left," EJ said.

"Well, where'd she go?"

"I don't know. Your house, Belle's…" He trailed off, sounding exhausted. It had been one hell of a night. He didn't want to think anymore.

"EJ, Andre is on the loose out there somewhere and you don't where Sami is?"

That snapped him out it. His eyes widened at Bo's comment. "Oh, God. I have to go find her."

"You do that. I have to get back the manhunt in the forest for your psychotic cousin. Tony, stay here in case of anything."

Tony agreed as EJ flew out the door, Bo right behind him. They wished each other luck and took off in opposite directions.__

So many dreams that flew away.  
So many words we didn't say.  
Two people lost in a storm,  
Where did we go?  
Where'd we go? 

EJ arrived at the hospital and headed straight for the waiting area outside Roman's room. Everyone was crowded together, waiting for some news. Hope noticed him right away.

"EJ, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I need to talk to Samantha." He was out of breath and he looked panicked. There was something desperate in his voice that made Hope's heart jump.

"What happened?"

"Bo just told me that Andre escaped. I want to bring Samantha home with me to keep her safe. Now, where is she?" He looked frantically around the waiting area, but did not see her among the rest of her family.

"Alright, calm down," Hope said. "She's not here. She came earlier and I sent her home with Belle. It wasn't good for her to be here right now."

EJ nodded, trying to get the air back into his lungs. He calmed down slightly. "Right. Belle. I'll go there now."__

We lost what we both had found.  
You know we let each other down,  
But then, most of all,  
I do love you,  
Still!

Meanwhile, Sami stood terrified, ropes cutting into her wrists every time she moved. It was dark and she was alone. She never should have left Shawn and Belle's house. She never should have even left the hospital!

"Ah, Samantha…lovely out here on the water, isn't it?" Andre paced back and forth in front of the post he'd tied her to. They were down at the docks and Sami was held captive on the edge of one of the piers jutting out over the crashing waves of the ocean.

"Let me go," she gritted.

"Oh, no, Sami. I don't think I'll be doing that. See, this is just too much fun. Outsmarting those pathetic excuses for police officers…and now, taking you." He smiled maliciously at her.

Sami glanced over her shoulder at the wild sea thundering against the pier. One false move and Andre would cut her loose to let her fall over the end. She'd never be able to fight against that current. Thank God she'd left the babies with Belle.__

So many dreams that flew away.  
So many words we didn't say.  
Two people lost in a storm,  
Where did we go?  
Where'd we go?

EJ arrived at Shawn and Belle's house. The moment Belle answered the door, EJ spoke.

"Get Samantha, I need to speak with her."

"She's not here," Belle said.

EJ sighed in frustration. "Don't lie to me, Belle. Hope told me she came home with you."

"I'm not lying, EJ! I meant that she's not here right **now**. She went out to take a walk a little while ago. She said she needed to clear her head."

EJ's heart felt like it would jump out of his chest at that. The color drained from his face and he suddenly felt very dizzy.

"What's wrong?" Belle asked, seeing the way her words had affected him.

"Andre is still out there. He got away from the police."

"Oh, my God," Belle whispered. She put a shaky hand up to her mouth. "You don't think…? EJ, you have to find her."

"I'm going now." He ran back to his car, ready to search every nook and cranny of Salem until he found her.__

We played the games that people play.  
We made our mistakes along the way.  
Somehow I know deep in my heart  
You needed me  
'cause I needed you so desperately!  
We were too blind to see...

Andre gasped and whipped back around to face Sami. "I just thought of a game we could play!"

"I'm not playing any games with you, Andre," Sami said. She was scared out of her wits, but tried to be brave enough to make it through this.

"Oh, but you are. It goes like this. Tell me…" Andre slid up close to whisper in her ear. "Is your poor, pathetic uncle still out looking for me along with the rest of those fools?"

"I don't know."

"Lies!" Andre cut off one of ropes wrapped around her and the post. Her feet were halfway off the edge. If those ropes fell off completely, she'd fall to her death in the water below. The ropes were the only things keeping her upright.

"You see, Samantha, each time you lie to me, I'll have to cut off another binding. So you'd better think twice before answering so quickly…"

'_Ok,_' EJ thought to himself as he flew down the streets. He hadn't driven this fast since the last time he'd been inside a racecar. '_Think like a DiMera. If Andre has her, where's one place he would he go?_'

In two seconds, he found himself heading straight for the docks.

_  
But then__, most of all,  
I do love you,  
Still!_

A second rope had been cut away from Sami's body. There were only three more to go. She found herself slowly, ever so slowly, coming away from the post. She started to panic. She had two babies and a teenage son at home. She couldn't let this happen.

Andre had walked away from her at the moment to check out the rest of the docks. He wanted to make sure no one had wandered down there. Not that he expected anyone just after two in the morning.

Sami felt a scream building up inside her. She was so afraid to let it out. She didn't know what Andre might do. But, she thought that maybe someone would hear. Anyone. Maybe her uncle Bo or Abe or any of the Salem PD were in the area, looking for Andre. Maybe they would hear her.

But, as the scream made its way higher up her throat, she thought of the one person who had always been there to rescue her…every time she needed it.

EJ slammed the door to his car and hurried down the docks to the piers. If Andre wasn't here, there was still hope he hadn't gotten Samantha.

But, it was also possible he **had **found her and was just somewhere else. An abandoned warehouse was next on the list.

Just as EJ was making his way down the steps, he heard a scream. A scream that pierced straight through his heart. He couldn't see anyone, but he heard it loud and clear.

"_**EJ!**_"


	26. Whenever You're in Trouble

**Song is "Whenever You're in Trouble" by Donny Osmond.**

As soon as he heard Sami scream his name out, EJ bolted forward. He didn't know where she was, but he assumed it was somewhere close to the water. Before he went any further, though, he pulled out his cell phone to call Bo.

"Did you find Sami?" Bo answered.

"He's got her," EJ said. He tried to stay calm but the longer he stayed on the phone, the longer it was until he got to Sami. "I heard her scream. I'm at the docks. Get down here, now."

EJ hung up before Bo could answer. He took a few steps forward, slowly. If Andre really was there, he didn't want to be spotted yet.

As he got closer, he could hear Andre shouting and Sami's desperate whimpers. He ran up behind a large, wooden crate and carefully looked around it.

Sami was still tied to the post on the edge of the pier, faced away from him, held there by just two ropes now. Andre had just cut off the third one in punishment for her screaming.

_Tell me from the heart__.  
In your eyes I see the pain.  
It's tearing you apart.  
Let me take it all away.  
You know someone believes in you  
When they love you no matter what you do.  
You know you are home  
And you're not alone  
When you hear me say…_

EJ felt like a rock had dropped in his stomach. Sami was so close to falling into the water. Andre was standing next to her, laughing maniacally. The beginning of the pier was just a few feet away. He had to do something. He couldn't lose her now.

Just as EJ was about to step out from behind the crate, he realized Andre had made one big mistake. Yes, he had a knife in his hand that he was using to cut Sami's binding. But his gun was laying just within EJ's reach.

A dangerous glint came to EJ's eye. He had a look of murder shining through the chocolate brown. Slowly, he crept forward to grab the gun.

Briefly, he wondered where the hell Bo, Abe, Shawn, and the rest of whoever they were bringing were. It always seemed to take forever for the SPD to show up in dire situations like this.__

Whenever you're in trouble,  
Whenever you need me,  
I will fight for you.  
I will help you through.  
Whenever life's deceiving,  
I'll give you new meaning.  
No matter where you are,  
You're always in my heart.  
Whenever you're in trouble, I will be right here.

"Utter one more sound, dear Samantha, and you'll be going over," Andre said.

"Get the hell away from her, Andre." EJ had stepped out from behind the wood crate, the gun pointed straight at his cousin.

Sami tried to turn her head around when she heard EJ's voice, but she couldn't move. She wanted to call out to him but was afraid Andre really would cut her loose. She was so terrified, she started to shake. Her nerves were completely shot.

"Ah…Elvis," Andre said. "Going to shoot me, are you? I've been waiting for the moment someone actually pulls the trigger."

"Step away from her, Andre, or I swear to God I'll kill you."

Just to test him, Andre took a step closer to Sami. Her shaking increased and she let out a little yelp of panic.

_Sometimes you're gonna find  
Nothing goes the way you planned__,  
But, whatever's on your mind,  
I will try to understand.  
You know someone is by your side  
Whenever they help you through the darkest night.  
You know you are home  
And you're not alone  
When you hear me say…_

"Samantha, darling," EJ said. "I'm right here. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, sweetheart. You know that." He still had the gun pointed at Andre.

"How charming," Andre murmured. "But, really, EJ…you don't have the guts to kill me. I'd have been dead long ago if you had."

EJ started to walk closer, but Andre stopped him. "Take another step and she goes in." He cut another rope away from Sami. One remained. Sami closed her eyes as she felt her body straining again the rope. She was shaking so violently by now, she was surprised the post hadn't broken off the pier.

"Get away from her **now**, Andre, or so help me, God, I'll shoot," EJ said.

Andre saw the look in EJ's eyes and actually started to believe him. He had the true look of a DiMera in his eye. A look that promised bloodshed.

He started to walk forward, a twisted grin creeping onto his face. At that moment, it all hit EJ at once. The love of his life almost about to fall to her death by a member of his family. That same family member walking towards him right now, a sickening smile upon his face. Rage built up inside him.

EJ's finger pressed down on the trigger and a bullet exploded, flying right into Andre's stomach.

At that exact moment, Bo and Abe showed up with Shawn and a few other officers. At the sound of the gun going off, they ran across the docks to where EJ stood, holding the weapon.__

Whenever you're in trouble,  
Whenever you need me,  
I will fight for you.  
I will help you through.  
Whenever life's deceiving,  
I'll give you new meaning.  
No matter where you are,  
You're always in my heart.  
Whenever you're in trouble, I will be right here.

Before any of them reached him, EJ had dropped the gun and was standing above the fallen body of Andre. He wasn't quite dead, but he was pretty damn close. Without even realizing what he was doing, EJ proceeded to kick Andre in the ribs, making the internal bleeding worse. He dropped down next to the almost lifeless body and punched him with all the strength he had. Even after his fist came away bloody, EJ didn't stop. He wanted to make Andre feel the pain of everyone he had hurt in the past.

Just when EJ was pretty sure Andre had stopped breathing, Bo and Abe came up and tore him away.

"Let me go, dammit!" He tried to break free from them. "I want to kill him!"

"He's dead, Wells," Abe said. He tugged EJ back a final time. "I think you already did it."

EJ stood, breathing heavily. He looked down at the still figure surrounded by Shawn and a few other officers, realizing he had angry tears running down his face. Bo and Abe slowly released him.

"Hey," Bo said. "Why don't you leave Andre to us and focus your attention on Sami?"

EJ looked up at Sami, still trembling against the post. He had been so caught up in his fury, he didn't even think to go over to her.__

Now's the time  
To share what you're feeling inside  
No matter how long it takes,  
No matter how many mistakes.  
Oh, now is the time  
To reach and you will find  
That whenever you need me to care,  
I'll always be there.

Without saying anything, EJ grabbed her left arm and undid the last rope tied around her. The moment she was loose, he was quickly pulled her back, away from the edge, up against him.

She was shaking so fiercely now that EJ was afraid she would combust. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight, rubbing her back, anything to get her to calm down.

"Sweetheart, it's ok," he whispered. "It's ok. You're safe now. I've got you. It's ok." He kissed the top of her head, praying she would cease her shuddering. Nothing seemed to work.

He looked down at her. Her eyes were still shut tight and she was holding onto him for dear life. He then looked towards where Andre lay. Abe was speaking into his cell phone and Bo was giving orders to rest of the guys. Shawn was dragging Andre's body away, uncaring of whatever he bumped into.__

Whenever you're in trouble,  
Whenever you need me,  
I will fight for you.  
I will help you through.  
Whenever life's deceiving,  
I'll give you new meaning.  
No matter where you are,  
You're always in my heart.  
Whenever you're in trouble, I will be right here.

"We're gonna go home now, alright darling?"

Sami nodded against his chest. She couldn't wait to leave there.__

Oh, I will be right here.  
Whenever you're in trouble,  
I will be right here...


	27. After All

**Song is "After All" by Cher and Peter Cetera. **

EJ lay there, staring at Sami across the abyss that separated them. They were only an arms-distance away from each other on his bed back at the Dimera mansion, but to EJ, it felt as if they were worlds apart. They hadn't communicated with each other at all since leaving the docks, unless you counted the way he was stroking her hair now.

Well, that wasn't totally true. He'd held her hand the whole way home. And she had spoken, albeit only once. On the way back to the mansion, she'd said, "I want my babies." So they had stopped off at Shawn and Belle's to pick up Tom and Colleen.

They were now sleeping peacefully in the other room. Sami thanked God that they were still only just about eight months old and had no idea as to what was going on. They didn't know of the deadly situations they could possibly be put in.

After they arrived at the mansion, EJ had taken the twins and put them sleep. When Sami went to help him with them, he had waved her off, telling her to go lay down. That's how he found her when he came into his room a few minutes later.

EJ wished for her to say something, anything. She wasn't even looking at him, just staring down at the bedspread beneath them, curled into the fetal position. Every once in a while, she'd shiver and EJ knew it wasn't because she was cold. He knew she was recalling parts of what had occurred with Andre.

_Well, here we are again.  
I guess it must be fate.  
We've tried it on our own,  
But, deep inside we've known  
We'd be back to set things straight._

Sami could feel him staring at her. She didn't want to say anything, though. She didn't even know what **to** say. How could she possibly express in words how awful she was feeling for leaving him and how thankful she was that he'd saved her life yet again? Words just didn't seem like they'd do it justice.

So, she'd let herself get lost in her own thoughts. She re-played the previous evening in her head over and over until she mentally kicked herself. She had been such a horrid bitch to him. What was wrong with her? If she had never left the mansion in the first place, none of this would have happened.

Thoughts of just what **did **happen crept into her mind. Scenes from the docks flashed across her brain like a montage. She kept thinking of the moment she'd heard EJ's voice behind her. She'd felt the biggest feeling of déjà vu then.

Her thoughts then jumped to every other time EJ had saved her life, fixating on the time she was tied in the car with carbon monoxide, when Andre had her gunpoint, when he got her and Lucas out of the safe-house, when the two of them were stuck in the steam-room, and every other time in between. She also supposed she could count the time he convinced her not to marry Austin.

Not to marry Austin…she knew what the deciding factor in that was. It was the moment she'd woken up from the kiss of her life (one of them, anyway) to realize it was EJ she was kissing.__

I still remember when  
Your kiss was so brand new.  
Every memory repeats,  
Every step I take retreats,  
Every journey always  
Brings me back to you.

Sami shivered again from the goosebumps she got every time she thought of that first kiss with him. There had been something…magical inside it. Their fate had been sealed in that one moment. After that, she knew there was no running away from it, no matter how hard she tried.

EJ noticed her tremble and decided he had to do something about it. Red wine. That usually calmed everyone's nerves in an instant.

He took his hand away from her hair and started to get up, but stopped when he felt her grab his arm. He turned to look at her in surprise. He had started to think she was sleeping with her eyes open. Now, though, she looked fully awake and like a child who had had a scary dream.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I wanted to get you something to stop your shaking," he said. "A glass of wine, perhaps."

"Don't leave me," she whispered.

"Sweetheart, I'll be right back –"

"Please, EJ." She was looking at him with such a mixture of fear and need in her eyes, it broke his heart to say no. So, he lay back down, this time pulling her into his arms.__

After all the stops and starts,  
We keep coming back to these two hearts.  
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall.  
And after all that we've been through,  
It all comes down to me and you.  
I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me,  
After all.

After a few seconds of silence, EJ asked, "How did you know I was at the docks?"

"I didn't."

"You called my name out, though."

"Not because I knew you were there. I just…felt the need to scream, hoping someone would hear me and I…thought of you. I had no idea you were there, EJ."

He kissed her lightly on the lips. "I guess it's lucky I went there first, then. I headed straight to the docks after I found out you'd left Belle's house."

"You knew Andre had me?"

"I knew he had escaped from the police. I went looking for you to bring you home and when Belle said you'd went out, I immediately feared the worst. I just assumed he had you. But," he said, "I killed the bastard. He's never going to hurt you, or anyone, ever again darling."__

When love is truly right…  
This time it's truly right.  
It lives from year to year.  
It changes as it goes.  
Oh, and on the way it grows,  
But, it never disappears.

"EJ, I'm so sorry," she whispered. "If I hadn't have left, none of that would have happened. Now you're gonna be charged for murder –"

"Charged for murder? Samantha, the Salem PD will probably throw a party in my honor for ending Andre's miserable life. If they wanted to start a case against me, Abe and Bo would have arrested me on the spot."

Sami managed to crack a smile at that, realizing he was right. Her uncle and Abe would never arrest EJ for fatally shooting Andre. It was something they had been wanting to do for years.

He let himself rejoice in the fact that he finally got her to calm down. The way she had been, all silent and distant, had been starting to worry him. Now that she was talking, his mind could be at peace.

_After all the stops and starts,  
We keep coming back to these two hearts.  
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall.  
And after all that we've been through,  
It all comes down to me and you.  
I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me,  
After all._

"EJ…do you think my dad will be ok?"

"Oh, darling, I'm positive he will be. He's made it through much worse than this before. He'll be fine. Besides," he said, "everyone in this town seems to survive just fine from major injuries. Or come back from the dead."

She burst out a laugh at that one. It was so crazy, but true. Salem was filled with seemingly invincible people. Roman would be fine, she knew he would.

"So. Still mad at me?" he asked, giving her that half-smile to show he knew she really wasn't.

Sami shook her head before literally throwing herself on top of him to share one of their mind-blowing kisses. She could swear that each one felt like the first time, even after two years had passed since then.

_Always just beyond my touch,  
Though, I needed you so much.  
After all, what else is living for?_

Sometime during that kiss, they managed to shift positions so that he was holding himself above her. Their kiss deepened and they found themselves in a misty, rose-colored world of their own. A world they never wanted to leave and didn't plan on leaving for quite a while.

EJ pulled away to kiss down the side of her neck. This was finally happening. After every other time of being interrupted just as it began, it was, at last, going to happen.

He hesitated then, before going any further. It **had **happened, almost two years ago, just not how either one of them wanted it to. Their eyes met and Sami immediately knew what he was thinking of. She pulled him back in for another kiss before he could voice any thoughts on the matter. That was in the past, over and done with it. She didn't want to discuss it again. She just wanted to concentrate on the future.

And concentrate on the future is what they did as everything they had been through the past two years came together in one earth-shattering moment of pure ecstasy.

_After all the stops and starts,  
We keep coming back to these two hearts.  
Two angels who've been rescued from the fall.  
And after all that we've been through,  
It all comes down to me and you.  
I guess it's meant to be  
Forever you and me,  
After all._


	28. I Turn to You

**Song is "I Turn to You" by Christina Aguilera. **

Late the next morning, EJ woke up from the most peaceful night of sleep he'd had in weeks. It was like his whole life had fallen into place after last night. Nothing felt more right than it did now. He rolled over to face Sami when he heard her voice.

"Uncle Bo, just tell me!" She was on her cell phone, trying to find out how her dad was. Bo, however, said he would rather speak to her in person about Roman's condition.

"Fine," she sighed. "I'll be right there." She hung up.

"How's your father?" EJ asked.

Tears welled up in Sami's eyes. She couldn't stand it anymore. She was tired of crying all the time. Blinking them back, she answered, "I don't know. Uncle Bo wouldn't tell me. He wants me to come to the hospital."

"Alright, we'll go now then." He started to get out of bed and get dressed so they could get there as soon as possible.

"What if…what if he didn't make it?"

"Sweetheart, I'm sure he's fine. Now get dressed so we can go."

_When I'm lost...in the rain,  
In your eyes I know I'll find the light  
To light my way.  
When I'm scared,  
Losing ground,  
When my world is going crazy  
You can turn it all around.  
And when I'm down, you're there  
Pushing me to the top.  
You're always there giving me all you've got._

After getting the twins ready to go, they arrived at the hospital a little while later. Bo, Hope, Marlena, John, Lexie, Abe, Kayla, and Steve were in the waiting area outside Roman's room. They all looked distressed.

"How am I supposed to break this to her?" Bo asked no one in particular.

"Do you want me to tell her?" Kayla asked.

"No. I'll do it. I just…don't want to see the look on her face."

Sami ran up to them, trying to keep positive thoughts in her mind. That was what EJ kept telling her to do. Think positive. "What's going on? Is my dad ok?"

Bo exchanged an uneasy look with Hope before answering. "They couldn't perform the surgery to get the bullet out."

"Oh, my God." The blood drained from Sami's face. She grabbed onto EJ's arm for support in case she passed out. No. This couldn't be happening. Her dad had to still be alive, he just had to be.

"What, exactly, does that mean?" EJ asked.__

For a shield from the storm,  
For a friend, for a love  
to keep me safe and warm,  
I turn to you.  
For the strength to be strong,  
For the will to carry on,  
For everything you do,  
For everything that's true,  
I turn to you.

"The bullet moved and went deeper than where they expected it to be," Bo said.

"But, he's still alive, right?" Sami asked. "He's not…he's not…" She couldn't finish the sentence. Just the thought of it made her feel sick.

"He's still alive, Sami," John said. "They're performing the second attempt at surgery right now."

"See, darling?" EJ said. "I told you, he's fine. They'll just go in where the bullet moved and they'll take it out and Roman will be good as new."

"Actually," Bo said. "This surgery is a lot more risky than the first one would have been. You see…it moved pretty close to his heart."

Sami knees turned to jelly at that statement. EJ caught her just before she hit the floor. She felt like she couldn't breathe. The tears were in there, but they just wouldn't come out. She felt numb. Her brain was spinning, but, she couldn't seem to keep up with the thoughts circling around in there. Somehow, he had managed to get her over to a chair.__

And when I lose the will to win,  
I just reach for you  
And I can reach the sky again.  
I can do anything  
'Cause your love is so amazing,  
'Cause your love inspires me.  
And when I need a friend  
You're always on my side  
Giving me faith,  
taking me through the night.

EJ kneeled down in front of her, holding her hands in his. He kept telling her everything was going to be ok, not to worry about it, Roman would be fine, it would be ok.

Hope had sat down next to her and put her arm around her shoulders. She wanted to let Sami know that everything would turn out fine, but she didn't want to take anything away from what EJ was saying. She knew that he was the only one who could keep Sami calm at a time like this.

Sami still hadn't let the tears fall from her eyes. Her breath was coming in ragged little gasps. This was all too much. She was going to fall apart, she knew she was. Then, EJ put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him.

"Samantha, look at me," he said. "He's going to be just fine. It's risky, I know, but it's still a procedure that I'm sure the doctors have gone through many times before. Alright?"

She nodded at him just as Lexie came over with a cup of water. She drank it, her hand shaking. What she really needed right now was some of that red wine EJ wanted to get her much earlier this morning.__

For a shield from the storm,  
For a friend, for a love  
to keep me safe and warm,  
I turn to you.  
For the strength to be strong,  
For the will to carry on,  
For everything you do,  
I turn to you.

Just then, a doctor came out of the room. Sami stood up when she saw him. The doctor surveyed the faces staring back at him before announcing that the surgery was complete.

"Well, is he alright?" Steve asked. "Don't leave us hangin' hear, Doc. What's the verdict?"

The doctor blinked. "He made it. But," he said as everyone let out sighs of relief, "there was a complication during the surgery."

"What happened?" Hope asked.

"Well, as you know, the bullet made its way quite close to Mr. Brady's heart. While we working on him, he had a minor heart attack."

Sami's blood ran cold. She felt EJ's arm tighten around her. How could he have had a heart attack? Her dad was healthy! She couldn't believe she was actually hearing this.

"Oh, my God," Kayla whispered.

"But, he's ok?" Abe said.

"We were able to revive him, yes. And we managed to extract the bullet from his body. We expect him to make a full recovery. However, he's going have to remain in ICU for a few days. After that, he'll need to stay on bed-rest and probably need a wheelchair for a while. His body had quite a shock."

"Thank you, doctor," Bo said. "Can we go in and see him?"

The doctor confirmed they could, but only two at a time. He left to go check on his other patients.__

For the arms to be my shelter  
Through all the rain,  
For truth that will never change,  
For someone to lean on,  
For a heart I can rely on through anything,  
For the one who…I can run to,  
Oh, I turn to you.

While Bo and Hope went in to sit with Roman, Sami turned to EJ.

"I can't believe this is happening," she said. "He really was on the brink of death this time."

"But, he didn't die," EJ said. "He was able to make it through and he's going to survive."

Sami nodded and put her arms around him. She didn't know how he managed to do it, but he kept her sane during the past few minutes. If hadn't been there, she knew she would have been a complete basket case.

Which just reinforced her belief that they truly were destined to be together.__

For a shield from the storm,  
For a friend, for a love  
To keep me safe and warm,  
I turn to you.  
For the strength to be strong,  
For the will to carry on,  
For everything you do,  
For everything that's true,  
For everything you do,  
For everything that's true,  
I turn to you.


	29. Your Guardian Angel

**Song is "Your Guardian Angel" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus.**

It was almost a week after Roman's surgery had been completed. He was still in ICU, but stable. He was awake and of sound mind. However, it was going to be a while before he had the strength to stand up again.

Sami, meanwhile, had learned to live with this. She just kept telling herself over and over that in time, her dad would be just fine. The worst was over and all good things were to come. All this was thanks to EJ, of course. He had been her primary source of support the past week. He, along with the moving of all of her and the twins' belongings in with EJ, had distracted her from pessimistic thoughts.

The sun was almost done setting over the town of Salem. Sami was standing on the wide expanse of balcony of the DiMera mansion, waiting for EJ and wondering why he had asked her to meet him out here after dinner. He wouldn't tell her why. All he had said was that he'd meet her out here in a few minutes.

EJ walked out onto the balcony and saw Sami standing there in the red, orange, and pink hues from the setting sun. He stopped for a second, captivated by just how beautiful she looked. He felt like the luckiest man in the world just then. Nothing, absolutely nothing, could replace this feeling.

Sensing his presence, she turned around and smiled expectantly. The look on her face plainly said, '_Ok, what's going on?_' Even still, her smile kept him pinned down when he stood. All the words he had carefully planned out with Tony, all the words he had memorized inside his brain had vanished.

_When I see your smile,  
Tears roll down my face I can't replace.  
And now that I'm strong, I have figured out  
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul  
And I know I'll find deep inside me, I can be the one._

"So…" Sami said. "Are you going to tell me what we're doing out here?"

Blinking, EJ smiled and stepped closer to her. He put his hands on her waist and said, "You are so beautiful, do you know that?"

"That's what you had planned to say?" She gave him a smirk, knowing that he was deliberately stalling before going ahead with exactly why he had asked her out here.

"No. Well, yes, that's part of it." He paused to try and recollect the words he had planned to say. "I wanted to tell you…that I love you very, very much. And that these past few months have been the best few months of my entire life." He shook his head in disbelief. "Sweetheart, we haven't been dreaming, have we?"__

I will never let you fall.  
I'll stand up with you forever.  
I'll be there for you through it all,  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven.

Sami stared at him with tears in her eyes. She never got tired of hearing EJ tell her that he loved her. But, this time it was different. It was the way he had said those words. If she wasn't mistaken, it had sounded like his was voice was shaking, which made the moment that much more tender to her.

She reached up to touch his face. "No, EJ. We're not dreaming. This is all very real."

He gave her a small smile and wiped away the tears that were trailing down her cheeks. He wanted to hold her, kiss her, and make love to her for the rest of the night. But before that could happen, there was something else that needed to be done. Something that he **wanted **to do.

"Darling, don't cry. There is nothing more to cry about. Listen to me. I'm not done yet."__

It's ok, it's ok.  
It's okay…

It was dark out now. The sun had disappeared below the horizon and instead of warm colors shining down on them, it was the faint blue glow of the moon. If possible, she looked even more beautiful in this light.

In the distance, they could hear the waves of the ocean crashing against the shore. The stars had just winked into focus above them. It couldn't be a more perfect summer night, even if EJ had paid all the money in the world for it. He took this a good sign. A sign that he was doing the right thing tonight.

"I have felt like the luckiest man in the world, just knowing you," he continued. "You amazed me, Samantha. You still do. I know I tell you all the time, but you really are perfect. You're smart, funny, determined, loving, scheming…It was like you were made especially for me."__

Seasons are changing  
And waves are crashing  
And stars are falling all for us.  
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter.  
I can show you I'll be the one.

"I just want to tell you now that whatever happens with your dad, the twins, Kate, or any other deceiving relative of mine that has yet to surface…I'm going to be here for you no matter what. I'm going to protect you from anything and anyone. I know that my father and Andre are dead, but who knows how many cousins of mine are still in Italy, plotting to take over for them?"

"You really think that?" she asked. The thought horrified her.

"Samantha, I don't know. I just want you to know that nothing's going to hurt you ever again. I won't let it happen. Whatever needs to be done, I will protect you. I would die for you."__

I will never let you fall.  
I'll stand up with you forever.  
I'll be there for you through it all,  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven.

"EJ, don't say that," she whispered. "I've almost lost you too many times in the past after you saved my life. Please, don't talk like it's really going to happen."

"I'm sorry, sweetheart, but it's true." He sighed. "I really would give my life for you. You're everything to me. You're my soulmate. Always believe that, darling. We belong together." His voice had started shaking again and Sami began to get a little frightened at that. What was he so scared of? Losing her? That would never happen!

"You know," he continued, "despite all of that, I just feel like I don't deserve you. I've done so many horrible things to you and your family in the past, I don't understand how you've forgiven me. You're truly are an amazing woman, Samantha. I don't understand how we've been destined to be together."

"What are you saying?" she asked. She was undeniably scared at this point. What was he trying to say? She was too good for him? He was about to tell her they shouldn't be together. She knew it. Here she had been, believing nothing but good could come out of this meeting on the balcony and now…now, she didn't know what to believe.

"I'm saying that I know you're just too good for me, sweetheart. And I want you to promise me, **promise** me that you'll never leave me."

"EJ! I would never even **think **of that!"

"Good. Because I want to spend the rest of my life with you."__

'Cause you're my, you're my, my true love, my whole heart.  
Please, don't throw that away  
'Cause I'm here, here for you.  
Please, don't walk away and  
Please, tell me you'll stay. 

With that, EJ dropped down to one knee in front of her. Sami felt her heart thud against her chest.

"Samantha Gene Brady, will you marry me?"

He had opened a tiny ring box to reveal a white gold band with a large round diamond in the center. On either side of the rock were a cluster three tiny diamonds that were in the shape of their namesake.

Sami stared down at the ring, speechless. **Now **it felt like a dream. She was suddenly overcome by a tidal wave of emotion. All the times she had been proposed to in the past…none of them had affected her quite like this one. She was laughing and crying, both hysterically, at the same time. She could barely keep herself upright. She felt giddy and delirious and everything that went along with those all at the same time.

EJ was still kneeling there with the tiniest of smirks on his face. He hadn't been planning on doing this. The thought just came to him out of the blue a few days ago. He didn't know what it was, but the notion just hit him. Maybe it was the result of having Samantha and twins move into the mansion with him. It just felt right that they should be together, officially.__

Use me as you will.  
Pull my strings just for a thrill  
And I know I'll be ok,  
Though, my skies are turning gray.

After what seemed like forever, Sami spoke. "Oh, my God, EJ…yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you!"

She flung herself down into his arms before he had a chance to slip the ring onto her finger. He gave a shout of joy and lifted her up with one passionate kiss. Putting her back down on the ground, he finally slid the ring onto her finger.

Sami looked at it sparkling in the moonlight. It fit perfectly. She looked back up as EJ began dragging her back into the house. All she could do was laugh at the look on his face – a devilish grin, accompanied by a wink.__

I will never let you fall.  
I'll stand up with you forever.  
I'll be there for you through it all,  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven.


	30. The Right Man

**Song is "The Right Man" by Christina Aguilera.**

A few months had passed since EJ proposed to Sami. Roman recovered and was back to his old self just in time. If he hadn't been able to get up out of bed, Sami would have pushed the wedding back. But, now he was just fine and today was the day. This was it. The day Samantha was to marry EJ.

Marlena still didn't approve of it. However, she had agreed to come to the wedding. Sami suspected that John must have talked her into it.

At the moment, in the back of St. Luke's, Sami was standing in the bridal room surrounded by Hope, Anna, Belle, Stephanie, and Chelsea. She was wearing a halter-style white satin gown with Swarovski crystals dotted all over it. Her hair was left down, in curls, held back from her face by the Cathedral-length veil on top of her head. Belle, Stephanie, and Chelsea were her bridesmaids and were wearing simple strapless gowns of sapphire blue.

As they were straightening out Sami's veil, her cell phone rang. It was Roman.

_So many years have gone by;  
Always strong, tried not to cry.  
Never felt like I needed any man  
To comfort me in life.  
But, I'm all made up today;  
A veil upon my face,  
But, no father stands beside me  
To give this bride away._

"Now, honey, I don't want you to freak out," was the first thing she heard.

"Freak out? What do you mean? What's happened?" Of course, Sami started to panic. Nothing could go wrong today. **Nothing.**

"Well, there was major accident a few minutes away from the church and traffic's completely held up. I'm not sure how long I'll be sitting here."

"Daddy, no! You **have **to make it on time! I can't stall forever!" Sami cried. "You're the police commissioner! Can't you do something?"

"Sami, I can't. Just calm down. I'll be there ASAP."__

Well, I'm standing in the chapel  
Wearing my white dress.  
I have waited for this moment  
With tears of happiness.  
Here I leave behind my past  
By taking the chance.  
I've finally found the right man.

Sami let them know what happened after she hung up. Anna hurried out to tell Tony they needed to stall for a little bit while Roman tried to get there. Tony turned to EJ and let him know what was going on.

EJ sighed. "Never a dull moment…" he muttered.

"Well, what do we do in the meantime?" Tony asked.

"I have no idea," EJ said. "Give the crowd one of your wonderful speeches that you usually give me and make off the top of you head."

Tony gave him a look, sighed a world-weary sigh, and headed up towards the front of the pews.__

Thoughts racing fast through my mind,  
As I'm gazing down the aisle,  
That my future will mend the memories  
Torn between father and child.

Sami peeked out through the doors to see how the guests were holding up. Tony was saying something to them, so hopefully they knew what was going on. Hopefully, they knew she wasn't running out on yet another wedding.

She caught a snippet of what Tony was saying. "They love each other, unconditionally. That, my friends, is what true love is. It's two souls, deeply in love with each other, that face pain and overcome it with unconditional love."

She smiled to herself. Convincing every last one of the guests that she and EJ truly were meant to be with each other. She was lucky to gain Tony as a brother-in-law. She lucky to be gaining EJ as a husband! She knew it would be perfect. He would be an amazing father to Colleen, and even to Tom when Lucas didn't have him. She didn't want her twins to have to go through what she and Eric went through, thinking their father was dead.__

My emotions overload  
'Cause there is no hand to hold.  
There's no shoulder here to lean on.  
I'm walking all on my own.

Her thoughts switched back to Roman then. Where **was **he? They couldn't wait much longer. And she wasn't doing this without him there. She had half a mind to go ask John to walk her down the aisle, but she didn't need her mother having a coronary in front of the whole church. That was the **last **thing she needed right now…

Hope and Anna were hurrying back to their seats. They wished her luck on their way past. Tony and Belle, Stephanie and Max, and Chelsea and Nick lined up in front of her and started making their way down the aisle. Claire walked down next, holding hands with Tom and Colleen – the flower girls and ring bearer.

"Wait, we're starting?" Sami cried. "We can't start yet!"

"Yes, we can."

Sami turned around to see Roman smiling next to her. "Let's get this show on the road, ok?"__

Here I go…

The whole way down the aisle, Sami found she couldn't tear her eyes away from EJ's. He was staring down at her with a smile on his face and she gave him the same look back. She didn't even pay attention to Bo, or Steve, or Kayla, or anyone else sitting there. She didn't even risk a glance at Marlena. For her, it was only EJ.

Suddenly, she found herself standing up at the altar. EJ was standing next to her, looking every bit like Prince Charming in a black tuxedo. It was the most surreal wedding that Sami had ever had.

This was everything she ever wanted. It took forever for her to admit it to herself, but she had. And it was actually happening. EJ had stuck by her through everything and they were getting married.__

Now I'm standing at four corners,  
To have and to hold.  
Now, my love, you stand beside me  
To walk life's winding road.  
And I owe it all to you  
For taking the chance.  
You've shown me there's a right man.  
'Cause I never knew a right man.

"Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here in the sight of God and in the presence of these witnesses, to join Samantha Gene Brady and Elvis John, Jr. Wells in holy matrimony."

Sami took a deep breath. It had started.

After the priests opening statements, he turned to the two of them and asked them to join hands.

"EJ, this woman whom you hold by the hand is to be your wife. Do you vow here that you will be true and loyal, patient in sickness, comforting in sorrow, and forsaking all others, keeping yourself only unto her so long as you both shall live?"

Without the slightest bit of hesitation, EJ replied, "I do."

"Samantha," the priest continued. "This man whom you hold by the hand is to be your husband. Do you vow here that you will be loyal in adversity, ministering to him in affliction, comforting him in sorrow, and forsaking all others, keeping yourself only unto him so long as you both shall live?"

"I do," she replied, her eyes welling up.

Now, they were to exchange rings.__

Well, I'm standing in the chapel,  
Ready to confess  
That I've waited for this moment  
With tears of happiness.  
Now, I leave behind my past  
By taking the chance…

Tony handed a band of diamonds to EJ. Sliding it onto Sami's finger, he said, "I, EJ, give you, Samantha, this ring as a symbol of my love. I promise to love you forever; every single day of forever. I promise to accept you, always, for the person you are and I promise not to try and change you into someone else. I promise not to expect perfection from you, because I know you don't expect it from me. I promise to love you and stand by you through the worst of times. I promise to forever fight for what we have and never let it go. I love you."

Sami felt a tear slip down her cheek. Her hands were trembling so much, she was afraid she wouldn't be able to get through this. Nevertheless, Belle gave her a simple gold band with onyx stones in it. Now came her turn to speak.

"I, Samantha, give you, EJ, this ring as a symbol of my love. I stand here now to announce my love for who you are and who I am because of you. I love the way you look at me and how I can read in your eyes a reassurance of all the promises you make me. Thank you for loving me as I am. You loved me through my highest highs and my lowest lows. You were and still are my best friend, my prince charming, and I love you for all of that. You are my fate, my destiny. And that will never change."__

Well, I'm standing at four corners  
To have and to hold.  
Now, my love, you stand beside me  
To walk life's winding road.  
And I owe it all to you  
For taking the chance…

"In as much as you have each pledged to the other your lifelong commitment, love and devotion, I now pronounce you husband and wife, in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," the priest announced. "You may now kiss the bride!"

And with that, EJ pulled Samantha into a kiss that truly sealed the deal.

Outside St Luke's, they all gathered for wedding pictures. Belle, Stephanie, and Chelsea lined up next to Sami. On EJ's side stood Tony, Max, and Nick. Belle was holding Tom and Sami picked up Colleen, but no – she wanted her father and leaned towards him until Sami let her go. __

And one day my little girl  
Will reach out her hand.  
She'll know I found the right man.

The End


End file.
